I change my locks every 16 days. That key's been useless since the 2nd Tuesday I gave it to you.

After this week, probably.  It's all a bit much really.  The children are clearly insane, and I'm catching it off them.  What fun. It was Mothering Sunday today, and we spent it in Spitalfields Market, where I failed to buy a little black dress and did buy some star print African wax cotton (5m for £12!) and some posh tea and had daytime gin (the best gin) and a chocolate brownie, and it was great until about three quarters an hour ago when we had the "I'm really tired but I'm not going to bed, I'm going to sit here and make NOISES and kick you and PUT MY COLD FEET ON YOUR TUMMY and whine" time until I gave up on supper and threw them into bed with mild threats.

They are quite cute when they want to be.

Anyway, that was today, but that's not what I wanted to talk about.  

I started a jumper a few weeks ago, part of the Mason-Dixon #bangoutasweater KAL, which was super fun and not hard at all.  A picture says 1000 words; a collage even more, and saves me boring on.

Genuinely one of the easiest and quickest knits I've ever made, and such a great, cosy jumper at the end of it.  This is not my last go at this pattern, and I'm going to use the Lett Lopi yarn to make an owlsjumper soon, as well as two Penguins jumpers for the girls.  

What else is new?  The Knit List is moving along slowly.  Most of the stuff is still in storage, but we're looking at about another fortnight of building chaos until I can put my living room stash back in its proper place.

The following things are being worked on:

Audrey in Unst: I'm at 26/36 rows of twisted ribbing.  I put it down to work on the Stopover and only picked it up today.  I can't say I love it.  I can't say I don't love it, but I don't love twisted ribbing ONE BIT.

NEW: A bright yellow Owligan: I love this.  It's bright and spring-like and will be a great cardigan to wear outside once I don't need a coat.  So, you know, May.

The Rainbow Raglan: huh.

These things are still in storage.

Hexipuff Quilt
Simon's Cobblestone jumper
Simon's massive man socks: I bought the yarn.
This One's for Parties Vintage Jumper
The Yellow Petrie
Rainbow jumper for Hattie

These are things that are waiting to be started.  I've added something.

Mini Hetty cardigan with sleeves for Lucy
A circle blanket for Robin

Cream and Beige Coco style boatneck striped top

Sun-Ray Ribbing Vintage Jumper
Ishbel scarf thing
Waterhouse Mittens

Bright Rainbow Blanket for Lucy

Burton Bear cowl for Hattie

Minion blanket for Hattie

Finished:

Stopover Sweater
Yellow Myrna cardigan
Vianne
Wisteria
Elwood Mittens for Lucy
One MASSIVE MAN SOCK
Weather Blanket
Separate but matching vests for twin boys
Urchin hat
Peacock mittens

Right, there is gin to drink and the X-files to watch.  Hurrah for Sunday nights.

You do not obey, you choose to co-operate

It's half term here, and we're jolly busy already.  The girls are swimming every day; I've paid an arm and leg for them to have private swimming lessons, and it's really helping them - Hattie can now swim 10 metres on her front and back, which is fantastic, and Lucy is getting much better at breaststroke, and her teacher has agreed to sign off her swimmer's badge for Brownies.  She is very excited about this, as is her nerdy mum.  She's been a Brownie since September, and was enrolled a couple of weeks ago.

We are all very proud of her. She was the first one in her group to be enrolled because her Brown Owl was sure that she would be the one who knew the promise and would say it in a big voice and get it right.  Of course she did.  She doesn't let us down.

She's going to get all the badges.  Every one, if it kills us.

In other news, I have bought a large quantity of this warm Icelandic yarn in order to Bang Out a Sweater, Mason-Dixon style.  The colours I bought are grey, pink, green and orange, and I should be able to make a beautiful jumper in under a fortnight.  I've been dithering forward and backward about making this jumper, so I've totally missed the KAL, which is a shame, but I'll still have a lovely jumper at the end and enough to start an orange penguins jumper for Lucy.  Hurrah.  I'm so glad we're having all this building work and that the house is freezing.  It means all my warm woolly jumpers are getting an airing, and now the work's been pushed back by a fortnight, I'll have even longer to wear them inside.  Yay!

My mom used to send me articles about how older virgins are considered good luck in Mexico

After a very active January with all the running and the cycling and the running and the whatnot, I've not really done much exercise this month.  I ran just over 8km today, and I'm planning a 12k run next Saturday when the children are away, so that'll up the average a bit; perhaps I'll even do a bit of running during the week.  Simon isn't planning to travel during half term, so I can go to the gym in the evening, and that should up my total mileage from 17 km to something a bit more respectable.

That's enough RUNCHAT, time to talk about knitting.  The majority of my stash is almost totally inaccessible, and I am totally fed up with the Rainbow jumper, so I moved a load of boxes and climbed over a few loudspeakers to get to my wool, in order to have a new project to cast on.

Super Lemon Myrna is finished and blocked and has buttons and ribbon stabilising the button band, which I sewed on by hand, I thankyew, and I am actually wearing it at the moment.  The house is SO COLD, so I'm wearing it over about three other tops.  It's a bit tight with all the clothes on.

It fits just fine over my running gear.  The yarn is Sublime Extra Fine Merino DK, in Soft Yellow, and it is soft and warm and cosy.  The yarn is from Mr Bunty in West Ealing, and I bought the buttons and the ribbon at the same time.  I was going to make a Miette out of it, but the Myrna is a better pattern for my shape, so that's what happened instead.  However, I have limited use for a wool cardigan with short sleeves, and the puffed sleeves don't do much for me either, so I picked up 68 stitches around the armholes and decreased every four rows seven times, while knitting the sleeves flat.  I sewed them up, because I get a bit of a better fit that way, and also I dislike the fiddly-ness of knitting sleeves in the round.  I've got some red yarn somewhere to make another one.  I just need to find it. *sob*

The Rainbow Raglan: I've done a couple of stripes, and I'm just getting on with it.  SLOWLY.

Hexipuff Quilt: Still at 237/500.

Simon's Cobblestone jumper: in storage.

Simon's massive man socks: I should buy that yarn really.

This One's for Parties Vintage Jumper: Stored.

The Yellow Petrie: I looked at it today.  It's still too cold for summer knitting.

Rainbow jumper for Hattie: Storage.

These are things that are waiting to be started.  I've added something.

NEW: Audrey in Unst Cardigan in my favourite Sublime Yarn, this time in pink.
Mini Hetty cardigan with sleeves for Lucy
A circle blanket for Robin

Cream and Beige Coco style boatneck striped top

Sun-Ray Ribbing Vintage Jumper
Ishbel scarf thing
Waterhouse Mittens

Bright Rainbow Blanket for Lucy

Burton Bear cowl for Hattie

Minion blanket for Hattie

Finished:

Vianne
Wisteria
Elwood Mittens for Lucy
One MASSIVE MAN SOCK
Weather Blanket
Separate but matching vests for twin boys
Urchin hat
Peacock mittens

I've found a great website with ALL the Parks and Rec gifs.  What fun.

Well now I'm standing. Happy? We're all standing now. Bunch of jackasses, standing in a circle.

The first KNIT CHAT of 2016.  I've been meaning to write about the KNIT LIST before, but, you know, stuff happens.  No ablogogising.

Half my stash is in the storage unit, the other half is stored in the spare room in boxes and while not totally inaccessible, I will have to work on one project at a time, so progress will be even slower than normal.

The Rainbow Raglan: we are in a fight at the moment.  I ALMOST finished the body AGAIN and tried it on, and that bloody side boob thing is still there, and so I've ripped it back to the armholes again, and now we are not speaking.  I may well start knitting it again once I've finished my super Myrna.

Super Myrna: it is lemon.  It is beautiful.  It is sexy.  It is nearly finished, and just needs a second sleeve.  Big love for the sexy lemon.

Hexipuff Quilt: There are 237 hexipuffs done and sewn together and looking gorgeous.  Still.  No car journeys planned, so it might stay the same size for a bit.

Simon's Cobblestone jumper: round and round and round I go, where I stop, I do not know.  *sigh*

Simon's massive man socks: Need more yarn.  I'll buy some after my BIG RUN next week.

This One's for Parties Vintage Jumper: Grumpy

The Yellow Petrie: Being stored.  I'm thinking about it.

Rainbow jumper for Hattie: I'm very much afraid this will be for Nicholas instead, it seems much, much too small for her.  I'm still working on the sleeve problem, I might make them sort of top down.  I know what they'll look like in my head.

These are things that are waiting to be started.

A circle blanket for Robin

Cream and Beige Coco style boatneck striped top

Sun-Ray Ribbing Vintage Jumper
Ishbel scarf thing
Waterhouse Mittens

Mini Hetty cardigan with sleeves for Lucy 

Bright Rainbow Blanket for Lucy
Burton Bear cowl for Hattie

Minion blanket for Hattie

Finished:

Vianne
Wisteria
Elwood Mittens for Lucy
One MASSIVE MAN SOCK
Weather Blanket
Separate but matching vests for twin boys
Urchin hat
Peacock mittens

I've found a great website with ALL the Parks and Rec gifs.  What fun.