Wicked

Pattern: Wicked
Yarn: Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran
Colour: Wine???
Needle's: Denise interchangable size 8

I Finished Wicked this morning, I added a bit more shaping to the waist than the pattern called for, and also added some increases for my hips. It looks much better on me than Lizzy cos I'm smaller than her so it doesn't stretch over my bust like it does hers, but I couldn't get a decent photo of me wearing it:-(

ETA, a couple of better piccies now!!!

What to knit next...................!

stitchmarker swappydoodles!!!!!

My stitchmarkers from the Forum swap arrived this morning, and they are so beautiful!!! I love them!!! Although I can't work out who they're from *hangs head in shame* There is also a gorgeous book thong, I read a lot so this will come in really handy too:-) I love it when the postie brings you stuff!!! Today has been a day for parcels actually. I ordered these two books from amazon yesterday, they're both really good and lots of designs I'd like to make in the fitted knits book.

Finally, I had a day off from my stashalong, which I've done really well with and its the first yarn buying since mid january ( can you tell I feel a tad guilty?)and it was a bargain too!!! It's yorkshire tweed chunky in "Damp" that I bought from janette. I'm hoping I'll manage to get the tension to make an urban aran cardi with it but thats just at the ideas stage at the moment:-) I may change my mind!

I've almost finished the body on wicked, hopefully will finish it today and then I can crack on with the sleeves:-)

Green fingers?????

Probably not, but I'm going to have a good go!!!! Have been to wilkinsons this morning, my plan was to buy some veg to grow from seed, but I got all confused cos the backs of the packs didn't match with when I thought things should be planted, so thought I better do a little more research! So I ended up with a few packets of seeds to grow some herbs! I'm hoping to have them out on the decking in the summer cos its really sunny, and then in the kitchen through the winter??? Also got some rhubarb, I hope its ok in a pot, I love rhubarb crumble *licks lips*, and some strawberries, so I'll see how I get along with those for now:-)
And just to prove that not all my plants die.......... This is rosemary which I've had from being a tiny sprig, and its massive now! It must be particuarly hardy to survive my efforts!

Another top down WIP

This time its Wicked, again by the lovely people at Zephyr style. Again this seems to be a pretty speedy knit! I'm using debbie bliss cashmerino aran which I've had in my stash for ages, it's the first time I've knit anything in this yarn and I really like it!!! It's really soft and luxurious:-)Maybe this will be finished before I go back to work next wednesday????
We've been chatting on the Crafty threads forum about growing veg! DH gets a little annoyed with me when it comes to the garden as I spend money on plants, then forget to water them and they die......oooops!!!! But I have decided to give veg growing in pots a go, and will have to be strict with myself so they don't get neglected!!!! I'm off to buy some seeds and pots tomorrow I think, and hoping I'll have tomatoes and strawberries for the summer:-)

Green Gable

Pattern: Green Gable
Yarn: Fleece artist silk stream
Colour: Lagoon???
Needles: 4mm Boyes needlemaster

I've loved making this top, so quick, and really wearable I think! The pictures aren't brilliant as I've taken them myself, but you get the basic look:-)

Start at green!

This is the green gable top which I started last night! Inspired by Christina who posted a picture of her completed top on the Crafty threads forum!
I'm using fleece artist silk stream which I had in my stash, and I think the variagated yarn goes nicely with the pattern. I've tried it on to see how its going to fit, and thankfully its fine so far! I can't show a modelled piccie yet though as it would be a tad indecent!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think I may get it finished in the next couple of days too:-)

sock for march

I eventually got round to starting my march pair of socks, spurred on by my finishing januarys socks yesterday!!!!! The pattern is another form nancy Bush's knitting on the road, Friday harbour this time and I'm pleased with how they're looking so far!!! The yarn is fleece artist sock yarn in colour Damson surprise.
Lets see if I manage to finish this pair in the intended month!!!!!

High priestess

When I looked on gilraen's blog last week and found the little questionnaire "which flower are you?", only to discover I was a daisy, I was a little cautious with the "which tarot card are you?" questionnaire type thing which is there today. I half suspected the fool to show up, but no, I was quite surprised!!!!

You are The High Priestess

Science, Wisdom, Knowledge, Education.

The High Priestess is the card of knowledge, instinctual, supernatural, secret knowledge. She holds scrolls of arcane information that she might, or might not reveal to you. The moon crown on her head as well as the crescent by her foot indicates her willingness to illuminate what you otherwise might not see, reveal the secrets you need to know. The High Priestess is also associated with the moon however and can also indicate change or fluxuation, particularily when it comes to your moods.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Daisy indeed;-)
I have a set of tarot cards in my craft room, decorated with the fey people (faeries) although tbh I rarely look at them anymore, but at one point, I read lots of literature on tarot and even had a go at reading myself!! I think I fancied myself as solitaire, hoping Roger Moore would come and sweep me off my feet:-) I read The mists of avalon a lot of years ago, then again a couple of years ago, and that sparked my interest in faeries! I remember as a little girl, playing in my grandadads garden and he used to tell us there were faeries under the large tree at the bottom of his garden! Me and my sister used to play for hours, looking for them, and then used to settle for blowing the heads off dandelions and exclaiming "there's a fairy!!!!!!" as they blew away:-) Happy days!!!!!!

Whitby

Pattern: "Whitby" from Knitting on the road
Yarn: Koigu kppm
Needles: 2.75mm blue sky alpaca surina dpns

I've eventually finished the pair of socks that I started for januarys sockamonth challenge, better late than never!! This is the first completed pair of socks for the year, I'm hoping to catch up though, I think I can still manage the 12 pairs challenge if I get on with them :-)

Posh Love

Pattern: My own
Yarn: Posh yarns "lucia"
Colourway: Kiss me
Needles: addi circs 2.5mm

crochet cover!

I've finished my granny square cushion cover!!! Its my first crocheted anything so I'm really chuffed, I even crocheted the seams together too :-)
Just need to have a look about for something relatively simple for crochet week next week now..............maybe a throw?????????

A little bit of colour........

I eventually put off temptation and cast on for the endpaper mitts today.


I think the colours aren't very clear in the picture, but I've used two shades of a bluey grey, and I think they go really well together, very subtle! The colourwork is much easier than I thought, the only thing being I'm finding it a little slow going as I have to pick up each colour separately cos I can't get the hang of holding a colour in each hand, but its fun, and its quite exciting seeing the pattern emerge! I'm hoping that when I finish these, I'll be able to move onto the Deep argylle vest. I think I've finally put my fairisle fear to bed!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyone for crochet?????

I wanted to participate in crochet week from the 18th of this month, but despite several attempts, I had always been unsuccessful in managing to crochet anything at all!!!!!! However................I kept reading the happy hooker yesterday, and I thought, "surely I can do this, it can't be that hard", and indeed, I now have something to show *jumps up and down excitedly*
VOILA!!!!!!!!!

I know its only a granny square, but its definately an achievement for me!!! I'm going to carry on until its large enough to cover a small cushion, and then do another square to match!!! And hopefully I'll get it finished in crochet week!
I'm not sure I'll have enough yarn to do the second square in the same colour, but its a really good way of using up leftover yarn :-)It can be a reversible cushion;-)

Off to the Frog pond!!!!!

I don't normally frog anything, so imagine my surprise when fluid linen was swiftly ripped from the needles and wound back into a ball!!!!!! I like the pattern, and I like the ggh mystik yarn too, but I was just really unsure whether I liked them together, so rather than spend hours making something I'm not sure I'll wear, I decided to frog, and maybe make the top in a matte type yarn at some point instead:-)
I have to admit to being a bit unsure as to how much I like the look of flicca too, I'm not sure I like the way you can see a definate line around the knitting where the decreases have been made, I'll ponder over this for a while before frogging though??!!
I've made quite a bit of progress on Ravel, although its very simple, I'm quite enjoying the monotony of garter stitch at the moment. I had hoped to make a few summery tops ready for our holiday to tunisia in May, but its still quite cold and I still feel like making snuggly bits.
I've been making some stitch markers today to send to my swap partner for the forum swap, they look lovely, even if I say so myself, but obviously no photos for now:-)
I've been hunting about through all of the crochet tutorial books that I have, looking for something which I can attempt for crochet week, no luck so far, but I have been reading the tutorial pages of the happy hooker, and it seems to be sinking in, so we'll see! I might have a go at a few granny squares, maybe a good way of using all the leftovers of yarn I have from big projects, and I can make a throw for my rocking chair.
I'm still desperate to try colour work in the form of the endpaper mitts, but my january socks remain unfinished, so the needles continue to be occupied for now.
When I first started my blog, auntie Noo told me that having pets was great for the times when you had no piccies to show, cos you could show piccies of the dogs instead, so.................here they are, having a snuggle on the settee!!!!

And here is scooby, trying to get his dog bed onto the settee to make it more comfy!!!!!!!!!!! Spoilt I hear you say?????? HMmmmmmmm, you could be right!!!

surprise!!!!!!

I had a nice surprise from the postie when I arrived home from work this afternoon! Firstly my march's Posh sock yarn of the month arrived, isn't it pretty???!!!:-)

Secondly, some sock yarn from scandinavian knitting design which I ordered at the beginning of the year, I'd forgotten about it tbh, so was thrilled when it arived today! The colours are lovely aswell and it was very reasonably priced!!!!!!!!

The fluid linen top is progressing very slowly! It looks nice, but the yarn is so slippery, that I wish I had cast on in bamboo needles rather than metal ones, but I'm scared to do it now as I'm sure my tension will be different, but I'll persevere in short bursts I think! Never one to be able to resist the lure of a new WIP, I cast on for Ravel by colinette, which is a plain garter stitch cardi, and am using Monet colourway.

I love the colours in colinette yarn, but I like uniform thickness yarns, so don't often use it, but this is in cadenza, which is a lovely dk weight merino yarn, machine washable too which is ideal for me with my two smelly mutts!!!! Speaking of which.............Scooby's ear is still bleeding. He's taken to removing the bandage partially and wearing it as a scarf whilst he races around the house, depostitng droplets as he goes *rolls*. I feel a little decorating coming on while I'm off work!!!!! Thanks for that scooby ;-)

Back to the land of blog!

It feels like ages since I posted on my blog (other than Ivy yesterday), work has been really busy and although I did manage to finish Ivy, the past fortnight has passed in a bit of a whirlwind tbh!!!!!
I've done a lot more reading, mainly because I've been heading for bath and bed when I've got home, the knitting hasn't really had a look in! I'm having a hunt about in my stash today and will probably start something new! I've four days to work next week and then have a fortnights annual leave to take, so hoping that the time will be productive:-)
I did find time to join the knit the classics blog, I have march's book ready to start and cheated a little for the brideshead revisited book by listening to the audiobook instead!!!! But I have enjoyed it, and I will probably make more of an effort to read along as the books are named:-)
I didn't finish February's socks..........no surprise there!!!! but am hoping I will finish them at some point!

I've made a start on the fluid linen top by ilga leja, I'm using some ggh mystik, which is nice to knit with but very slippery on metal needles!!! Have done the rib border so far.

Poor scooby doo has hurt his ear, not really sure how, but I suspect terri is the culprit for his injury!!!!!!! Its got a little chunk missing, and keeps bleeding, but he won't keep any kind of dressing on so I've resorted to a crepe bandage quite tight around his head, he's not best pleased poor soul:-( hopefully it'll heal soon!

IVY

Pattern: Ivy
Yarn:Debbie Bliss Cathay, 13 x 50g (1300m)
Needles: 3.75mm aero metal needles