I am so looking forward to seeing the back of January. It has been cold and dark and miserable - a month with few, if any, positive points in itself. February will bring half-term, Valentine's Day and a new baby into the family - little bubbles of happiness as the sun comes back to us.
Last week was a busy week in the outside world so a tad slow on the creative front, but I do have some nice progress to show you.
Baby Express now includes an elephant in a blue and green bonnet. The plan for the coming week is to finish the roof of the carriage - there is a little cupola on top - and then to back stitch as much as is possible, before moving on to the next section.
On Second Socks, I have reached the bottom of the leg, so the plan for this week is to knit the heel flap and turn the heel. If I can get started on the foot, that will be a plus.
The Cabled Handwarmers have made least progress this week. I still have a couple more cable repeats to do before I can knit the last section of ribbing. I am still waiting to hear from the wool shop about the extra yarn I need, but I can't currently locate an email address and the mobile number on the website goes through to voicemail.
In other news, I was rather disappointed this week because I didn't lose any weight. I didn't put any on either, but having turned down all sorts of goodies and tried to be really good, it was somewhat annoying to find that I had maintained - so still 11 stone 10lb.
Next time I post, it will be a new month so here's all the best to you and yours for the last few days of January, and may the frog stay well clear of your needles.
Well, after a week of steady improvement I am now at the slightly snuffly stage, and generally feeling much better. As a result, I do have a decent amount to show you this week.
I'm pleased to say that I have made good progress with Baby Express this week. That is supposed to be a lion wearing a yellow spotted green bib. I am hoping that the backstitch will perform wonders in due course.
Progress on the cabled hand warmer has been slower, mainly because I don't take it out with me. However, about 4 more repeats of the cable pattern and a little more ribbing should see this one complete. The question then will be whether I have enough yarn for the second one. The shop I bought it at is supposed to be ordering some more in, but I am still waiting to hear from them.
However I am delighted to be able to show you my socks. I finished the first one on Thursday night and cast on the second one after work on Friday. It was Knitting Club on Saturday so I spent a very enjoyable few hours knitting and chatting with like minded people.
In other news, I went to get weighed on Thursday night and discovered that having a streaming cold had caused me to put on 2lb. I couldn't face cooking so just ate what was easiest i.e. takeaway etc. So I really need to lose weight this week as I am just on my limit before I have to start paying again.
It's getting late now and they've threatened us with a very cold night, so I am going to call it a day, fill a hot water bottle and turn in. So, all the best to you and yours, and may the frog stay well clear of your needles.
Thanks to a number of my amiable colleagues who do not believe in taking sick leave even when it is patently obvious to all around them that they are plague carriers who should be cast into the outer darkness, I lost a whole weekend of stitching and knitting and consequently do not have as much to show you as I had hoped!
I did however manage to make a little progress before I was struck down with the dreaded lurgy.
This is a new cross stitch start - a kit from Dimensions called "Baby Express". Completing this for my cousin's baby due next month is my first goal for 2015. I am stitching it on the rather stiff 14 count aida from the kit with the threads supplied.
I had hoped to be further on with this sock by now. My intention was to have finished this and cast on the second sock before Knit Group this coming Saturday afternoon. It may still be possible - it just depends on how the rest of the week goes.
Neither have I made as much progress with my cabled hand-warmer as I had intended. Each repeat of the cable pattern currently takes me about half an hour, so losing a whole weekend was not helpful.
On a brighter note, I went to Slimming World for the first time since before Christmas and found that I had lost 1lb, so am back down to 11 stone 8lb.
I will finish here as I still feel a bit under the weather and will hope to be able to post at my usual time on Sunday.
All the best to you and yours, and may the frog stay well away from your needles.
I know it's a day early, but I do feel that that is slightly better than about a week late, which is the alternative option :-)
So here we are in 2015 - I'm still not quite sure what happened to 2014, but it's too late to worry about that.
I'll start with the finishes that I couldn't show you last week because I didn't have photos, then my works in progress and then go on to my goals for the coming year.
Here are the Christmas ornaments that I made for my nieces. As usual, the finishing was a last minute rush and is not very good. However they loved them, which is all that matters.
And here is Breeze (I can't work out how to pixellate bits of my photos so have just used the erasing tool). My friend is wearing it as a neckerchief rather than a headscarf, but so what? She likes it, and her sister tried to steal it off her, which I think is a good sign.
On to works in progress. Having finally decided which is the right side and which the wrong side of the ribbed section, I have now started the cabled section of these handwamers. There is a way to go yet, but I'm looking forward to the finished item.
And then we have a sock - very good progress on this over the last week. The leg is finished, and I have turned the heel and picked up the stitches for the gusset.
So what do I have in mind for 2015? Well, the list contains some projects for me and some for other people. Let's take it from the top!
1) Start and complete a birth sampler for my cousin's baby due on 13 February - I have the kit for this and have photocopied the chart - just need to get started.
2) Knit something for my cousin's baby - could be more booties and mittens, could be something else - we don't know whether its a little girl or a little boy yet.
3) Finish Guardian Angels for Mum's 70th on 18 November - this includes metallic threads and beading.
4) Start and complete Crypt Club for Mum's 70th - this is for the Patchwork Group joint gift - I have the chart but need to sort out fabric and threads.
5) Complete the cabled handwarmers.
6) Complete the current pair of socks and knit x many more pairs in 2015.
7) Complete the current pages of Train of Dreams - this is a carry over from 2014.
8) Start first sweater - I have a couple of possible patterns for this.
9) Start and complete Christmas stocking ornament for my cousin's baby - the design will depend on the gender of the baby.
10) Knit or stitch Christmas ornaments for my two nieces.
11) Start Hitchhiker shawl - I have the pattern and the yarn so it will be finding the time.
I may have bitten off more than I can chew here, but I'm aiming for the stars and leaving myself plenty of room to fall.
What are your stitching and knitting plans for the New Year?
Wishing you and yours a happy, healthy and prosperous 2015, and may the frog steer well clear of your needles.
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