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.

And then a car coming the other way swerves to avoid you and goes off a cliff

It'll be 2016 in a few days, and the start of a new year, and time for resolutions that I don't keep.  Looking back, my resolutions for this year were to be a size 12 (ha!) and to make trousers (ha! again), so this year, my resolutions are going to be pretty much the same.  I've just joined our local cheapy gym, and I've been for a 6.61km run today, and done a load of sit ups and stuff, so things are moving in the right direction.  I've got 20 pounds to lose; so far I've lost 1.  At Christmas.  You can touch me if you like.  I have some photos of me in my workout gear which when I'm feeling brave I will post as a before picture at some point, so brace yourself for that.

Anyway, the point of all this exercise is to make the sewing and subsequent photos more enjoyable.  If I'm going to have to take all sorts of inside leg and around my bum and thigh measurements, it had better be an interesting rather than horrific experience.

Knit chat, as well as FIT CHAT.  No finished objects, but lots of progress.

Hexipuff Quilt: There are 237 hexipuffs done and sewn together and looking gorgeous.

The Rainbow Raglan: it now has a sleeve.  However, knitting the sleeve made me realise that I had knitted in some form of side boob, and so I had to rip it back to the armhole and start again from there.  *sob*  It's coming along pretty well, and I'm almost finished with the waist shaping and then it's only a few rounds after that until the body is done.  AGAIN.

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

This One's for Parties Vintage Jumper: Grumpy

The Yellow Petrie: I appear to be using the orange I used for the facing for something else, so I will need to have a think about that.

Miette cardigan in Lemon: changed to be a Myrna cardigan, again by Andi Satturland for her Selfish Knitting Knit-Along, starting yesterday until Valentine's day.  Myrna is very cropped and LOOK AT MY BOOBS which fits the new aesthetic very well.  I'm going to give it long sleeves and make it a bit longer, so it looks less pornographic and is more wearable.

Mini Hetty cardigan with sleeves for Hattie: swapped out for a Rainbow Owlet jumper without owls, so a DK weight raglan sleeve jumper with rainbow stripes, which I started in Cambridge on Tuesday and am nearly done with.  Hurrah for quick fixes.  Not sure how to do the stripes on the sleeves though, but I'll work it out.

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

It's not looking that bad really.  Just got to keep going, one stitch at a time.  

I have no idea what I'm doing, but I know I'm doing it really, really well

Thank the Lord, it is the end of term at last.  It's been a terrific term and lots of fun in many ways, but also really, really hard work and I am shattered, not helped by Christmas parties and all sorts.

I made a Cambie dress for my work party at the Wembley Hilton, which sounded like it should be a bit of a shithole considering it is in Wembley, but of course, Wembley is a massive world class venue, so the hotel next door to it is very nice, if a bit eye-gougingly expensive on the drinks front.  I had a terrific headache, so didn't really drink anything, but I still had a great time.  

The dress: 

I wore it with a big old puffy petticoat underneath, and I made the neckline a bit more scooped because it wasn't lying flat.  It then became a "look at my boobs" dress, which isn't ideal.  I'm a primary school teacher and a SENCo, I don't really want that to be what people remember.  Especially when they are also primary school teachers.

I dug these shoes out of storage and wore them with fishnets.  They were surprisingly comfortable in the end, and I danced until dawn.  Well, midnight.

I did this with my hair and the fluffy thing is from Primark - I would have made one but I ran out of time, and energy.  The girls were alternatively complimentary (Mummy, you look like a princess) and accusatory (Why are you wearing these things? Why do they not belong to us?), which I suppose is pretty normal for 7 & 5 year olds.  I am now on the look-out for other 1950s style dresses that I can make - it's a good style for me, and I will cover up a bit more next time.  Stupid colleagues.

I also made a Christmas jumper for our school Christmas lunch - a sweatshirt fabric Coco, with a gold applique reindeer on it.  It is brilliant and bonkers and I love it very much.

I didn't get around to knitting one this year; also the Guardian said that this year was all about the Christmas sweatshirt, so I'm bang on trend.  

That's the sewing I've got done recently - I wanted to make the girls a horse print Skater dress each, but I seem to have run out of time.  We had a school Christmas party on Wednesday and there was all sorts happening, and I ended up with the worst hangover on Thursday and the guilt and the terror and the photos of me hammered, and I'm on a health kick and a massive HerbalLife diet starting on the 27th.  I even went for a swim on Friday (20 lengths, 500 metres, non stop in 25 minutes, even the girls' swimming teacher was impressed) and a run today (500 metres non stop in about an hour)(not that bad, but not great), so I'm all about the excessive exercise and the reduced calories.  Part of me is all "oh I want to be healthier" but actually, fuck that, I want to be a size 10 and weigh less than one of my boots.  

As for knitting, it is still going on quietly in the background, when I'm not at a party or slumped with hangover and regret (never go back to your colleagues' flat and drink two more glasses of prosecco, and then end up nearly throwing up in a taxi over another).  

The list as it stands after nearly a month off.

Peacock Mittens: They are done.  Finally.  I wore them to the carol service at church this evening, and they are gorgeously toasty and lovely.  Hurrah.

Hexipuff Quilt: I now have 212 and a half hexipuffs, out of 500.  This is amazing, and I only need the same again plus 26 and it will be done.  Hurrah?

Simon's massive man socks: I am just going to buy another skein in the New Year; it is a massive pain in the bum, but I just can't find the second one anywhere.

Simon's Cobblestone jumper has been ripped back and I have cast on the correct size.  It deserves a post all of its own, and will get one.  At some point.

The Rainbow Raglan: Still the same.  Still not made sleeves.

This One's for Parties Vintage Jumper: Still not happy with it.

The Yellow Petrie: Shshshsh

These are things that are waiting to be started.

A circle blanket for Robin

Miette cardigan in Lemon

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

Mini Hetty cardigan with sleeves 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

Hey Nolan, I came here to watch Batman, not Kung Fu Panda.

The collect for the day.

Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee by plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

The will was stirred up, the fruit was plenteously brought forth from Tesco, and the reward will be an inadvertently egg-free Christmas pudding on the 25th.  I do love a family tradition, and I've made this pudding by Dan Lepard for the past 3 years, and we all stir and wish and generally our wishes come at least partly true.

It doesn't look much now, but it will taste wonderful.  Even without eggs.

Anyway, enough of that.  On with the knitting.

Peacock Mittens: This is the second one, and I've done more than that since I took this photo.  I might even finish them this week.  Might.  

Hexipuff Quilt: I've made another 2 today.  When there are 8 more, I'll recount, and see where we are with the whole 500 titchy little hexagons.

Simon's massive man socks: still the same.

The Rainbow Raglan: Still waiting for sleeves.  Having just been stuck on sleeve island with the Wisteria, I'm disinclined to make another trip there.

This One's for Parties Vintage Jumper: Still not happy with it.

The Yellow Petrie: Shshshsh

These are things that are waiting to be started.  Still.

A present for Robin: I've changed my mind again.  I'm going to make him the same blanket as I made his sister, but in different colours.  And not as many circles.  And not for Christmas.  Maybe for Easter.

Reknit Simon's Cobblestone jumper - I'm getting moaning about this, so this is up next.

Miette cardigan in Lemon

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

Mini Hetty cardigan with sleeves 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

I'm sure I've made more than that; it doesn't seem that much really.

Global warming? Sorry, sir, that's just scientist talk. The same people who say my grandfather was a monkey. If that's true, why was he killed by a monkey?

Well, it's Monday night and no one in the Croyden household has been sick for at least 72 hours, so I'm going to tentatively stick my head above the parapet and say that we are better than we were.  What a delightful few days it has been, but it's a new week now and I'm full of energy at the moment.  This may not last.

Two weeks ago, I went to the Great London Yarn Crawl Market Place, organised by the women at Yarn in the City.  I've started listening to knitting podcasts, a hobby my husband finds amusing but indulges me in provided I don't ask him to listen too.  I've found a couple that are not to my taste: basically, if the woman's voice makes me want to stab my own ears, I stop listening; and I've now found a couple that I really like.  The Knitmore Girls Intergenerational Hour is my favourite, but they are on maternity leave at the moment.  Video podcasts annoy me far more than seems rational, but now I've discovered I can use my phone for other things while listening, I'm a lot calmer about them.

Back to the Market Place.  I spent a bit of money on lovely things, lovely things for me and no one else. Some beautiful grey wool from Kettle Yarns to make a Tambourine cardigan, oh my goodness, it is so luxurious and gorgeous.  Some hand-dyed yarn from TravelKnitter to make these mittens, orange and grey, sophisticated.  Her Etsy shop is on a break at the moment, but know that the yarn is Blue Faced Leicester Superwash Sock, and dyed in Walthamstow, E17.  So I will be singing while I knit.  Some beautiful wool from Triskelion Yarn and Fibre to make a scarf , a beautiful deep blue green colour.  A renewed subscription to PomPom magazine, which I love, but haven't made anything from yet.  Too busy catching up with patterns from 2008.  

It was a lovely afternoon, and a lovely venue.  Next time I'm going to buy from Midwinter Yarns; googling them shows me they'll be at Yarndale on Saturday.  I can't wait.  All the knitting, all the sewing, all the time.  Hurrah!