Saturday 21 March 2015

You should never, never doubt something that no one is sure of.

It's been a while.  Life keeps on happening, in its boring and inevitable way.  Module 1 of my course is now over, and I still have 2500 words of my essay to write. The title has changed, along with the focus, but nothing else.  Module 2 has started, what terrific fun it all is.  There have been a few minor health niggles, nothing serious, so no running at the moment.  I've got either the start of a terrific cold, or something I can shake off easily, so I'll have to get shot of that before I go out again; I dislike being unable to breathe when I'm running.  

Anyway, enough about that.  There's been some knitting going on.
  • Lucy's stripey jumper.  Finished and done.

  • Wisteria jumper - I've just finished the body of the jumper, "just" the sleeves to go.  I need to try it on and make sure that everything is OK, and also see how much more going round and round on the sleeves I need to do before the tricky cable bits.
  • Nicholas' POP blanket - Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.  
  • Lucy Attic24 Ripple Blanket - 38/57 rows done.  Lucy is using this, so I am going to do 2 more rows and a border, and call it done.  
  • Hexipuff Quilt - I've managed to do about another 10, which is fantastic, and I'm very pleased with myself.  172/250, which is my target for this year.
  • Burton Bear Cowl for Hattie. Brown wool found again.  Hattie isn't showing any particular desire for a cowl, so I will put this on the back burner.
  • The Weather in the Streets 
The numbers are depressingly the same.  Ho hum.  We're on a break.  Still on a break. 
  • Yellow squares - 107/143 done
  • Blue squares - 52/72 done
  • Grey squares - 64/102 done
  • Turquoise squares - 1/11 done
  • Orange squares - ALL DONE
  • Pink square - DONE
  • Purple squares - DONE
  • Red squares - 6/10 done
  • Dark Green squares - 5/7 done
  • Pale Blue square - DONE
  • Pale Yellow square - DONE
  • Dark Blue square - to do
  • Pinky-Red squares - 6/10 done
  • Hattie's 4th birthday blanket.  6/36 Rainbow Granny Squares done.
  • Owl Obsession for one of my godsons - it's for his second birthday.  His birthday is in SEPTEMBER PEOPLE.
  • Peacock Mitten - oh God, this is too depressing.
  • Coraline cardigan - moved to be finished by April; this is Britain, it will still be cold then
  • Petrie top - too cold to think about spring weight tops.  
  • Knitted Coco -see above.
  • Socks for me - I have no suitable sock wool that I like.
  • Rainbow jumper - still depressed about losing jumper 1, and in mourning.  
  • A Little Birds jumper with no steeks - still planning
  • Reknit an unwearably large jumper for Simon - March project
Done:

Myrna Cardigan
Hattie's cardigan.
A pair of simple socks for the children
Garter Yoke Cardigan
An Owlet for Lucy
Lucy's Cowl
Hattie's Cowl
A Burton Bear Cowl for Lucy
Simon's socks
Boreal
A tiny jumper for Nicholas
Sparkly Owlet for Hattie
Ringo mittens
Aiken
Striped jumper for Lucy

You win some, you keep some the same.  Again.

There's also been some rather exciting sewing happening too; my Mothers' Day present was a two week, two Sundays, sewing course, making a lovely Mortmain dress with Jane of Handmade Jane fame, at Badger and Earl in Chiswick, so I've been doing that.  The dress is beautiful, so far, and I'll have it finished and ready to photograph next week.  I'm going to need some new shoes to go with it too.

What's new with you?

Sunday 1 March 2015

What a life it would be, If you could come to mine for tea, I'll pick you up at half past three, We'll have lasagne

The immortal lines of the Nineties finest lyricist always go through my head when I'm cooking for the family, especially when I'm buggering about making a white sauce, stopping Simon from smashing the printer in sheer frustration and comforting two hysterical girls who haven't realised that Lilo and Stitch isn't a documentary.  I was always team Blur though; shame that they are now a coked up twat, a friend of the Prime Minister, a bit of an arse and Dave.

Still, you don't come here for tales of indie bands from ages past, you come for the knitting, and there has been knitting happening this week, as well as super exciting other crafty things.  Oh yes.  

  • Lucy's stripey jumper.  One sleeve done and stuck on, one sleeve started. 


Those are different sleeves, promise.  The bottom photo is from yesterday, I finished that sleeve last night while watching Rich Hall at Battersea Arts Centre.  He was very good, and the sleeve is surprisingly good considering  it is stripes knitted in the round in the dark.



  • Wisteria jumper - this is now nearly at the place it was when I ripped it back last week.  *sigh*  There's not a lot left to do on the jumper body, just the last bit of the cable, and strangely, it doesn't feel as insanely complicated as the time before.  Although, you know, ask me again in a week.
  • Nicholas' POP blanket - I found the yarn.  I realised that one mini-skein will never make 6 circles.  It is now going to be 30 squares, not 36.  30 is not a square number.  This is now giving me maths heebie jeebies.  On the plus side, it's that bit closer to being finished, so yay.
  • Burton Bear Cowl for Hattie. Brown wool found again.  
  • The Weather in the Streets 
The numbers are depressingly the same.  Ho hum.  We're on a break.  
  • Yellow squares - 107/143 done
  • Blue squares - 52/72 done
  • Grey squares - 64/102 done
  • Turquoise squares - 1/11 done
  • Orange squares - ALL DONE
  • Pink square - DONE
  • Purple squares - DONE
  • Red squares - 6/10 done
  • Dark Green squares - 5/7 done
  • Pale Blue square - DONE
  • Pale Yellow square - DONE
  • Dark Blue square - to do
  • Pinky-Red squares - 6/10 done
  • Lucy Attic24 Ripple Blanket - 38/57 rows done.  So over HALF WAY.
  • Hattie's 4th birthday blanket.  6/36 Rainbow Granny Squares done.
  • Owl Obsession for one of my godsons - it's for his second birthday.  His birthday is in SEPTEMBER PEOPLE.
  • Hexipuff Quilt (I'm aiming to get 250/500 done by the end of June 2015) NO
  • Peacock Mitten - oh God, this is too depressing.
  • Coraline cardigan - moved to be finished by April; this is Britain, it will still be cold then
  • Petrie top - too cold to think about spring weight tops.  
  • Knitted Coco -see above.
  • Socks for me - I have no suitable sock wool that I like.
  • Rainbow jumper - still depressed about losing jumper 1, and in mourning.  
  • A Little Birds jumper with no steeks - still planning
  • Reknit an unwearably large jumper for Simon - March project
Done:

Myrna Cardigan
Hattie's cardigan.
A pair of simple socks for the children
Garter Yoke Cardigan
An Owlet for Lucy
Lucy's Cowl
Hattie's Cowl
A Burton Bear Cowl for Lucy
Simon's socks
Boreal
A tiny jumper for Nicholas
Sparkly Owlet for Hattie
Ringo mittens
Aiken

You win some, you keep some the same.

In other news, I made Lucy a World Book Day costume.  It needs a bit of refinement, in the form of a kitten to hold, a black sash belt, and a heart on the apron, but I channelled my inner Sewing Bee, and altered a rather fragrant tee-shirt of Simon's, and turned it into a dress for a little girl.


With some striped tights and a white top underneath, she'll make a passable Alice.  Hattie wants to be the Gruffalo; we have brown leggings and tee-shirt on order, and purple prickles will be forthcoming.  Exciting times.