Dear all, yes, I have been missing in action for a while. Apologies for the delay in coming back to you.
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.
However there has been progress during my absence.
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.
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.
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 Truly Hooked. 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.
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.
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 Wool Zone 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.
Too many pretty things and not enough time!!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
All the best to you and yours, and may the frog stay well clear of your needles!
And nose back to the grindstone tomorrow :-(
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.
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:
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.
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.
Up next are three new starts.
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.
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.
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.
So plenty to keep me occupied and out of mischief, and only a few weeks to go until Yarndale :-)
All the best to you and yours, and may the frog stay well away from your needles.
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.
