Ribbed shrug!

Another FO for January:-) This time the Ribbed shrug form issue 3 of Yarn Forward magazine!
I used Rowan Plaid rather than chunky print as suggested by the pattern, but only as I had the plaid in stash. Its nice yarn, very snuggly and warm:-) I dropped down to 8mm and 6mm needles to allow for the differance in yarn, the tension of the Plaid and the chunky print are the same, but on differing needle sizes.

Mrs J, from the blog On the Hill awarded me an award today!!!How exciting:-)The "you make my day" award is for the blogs you read daily, and the idea is to then go on and award to the 10 blogs that you read daily yourself. i have a fair few blogs that I follow, but only certain ones that I read properly everytime they are updated, even if I don't always comment! so I would like to give the award to the following bloggers, (the button is in my sidebar)
Piglottie
Auntie Noo
Clarabelle who has already received the award but I LOVE her blog and she always makes me chuckle!!!!!!
Gilraen who has amazing stash piccies on a friday!
Queen of the froggers
Sarah
Jane who designs amazing socks!!!!!

I'm onto the second monkey sock, I may finish before next friday too I think:-) And have been continuing on with the bergere jumper, I think I should finish that off within the next couple of months as its my inbetween project WIP:-)

The weather here has been so horrid for the past couple of days! Sooooo windy, I hate it when you lie in bed and hear the wind rushing underneath all the roof tiles, not nice at all! We've had two tiles blow off altogether, and a few whic are now loose, just hoping we don't start with rain, cos none of the roofers will replace the tiles until th wind has settled....... Don't really fancy the prospect of the roof ceiling plus loads of water falling in whilst I'm in bed!!!!!
I'm working nights again tonight, but this time its overtime....... not that I relish the prospect of going in to work on a saturday night, BUT.... the extra money should pay our holiday deposit. I'm thinking Spain, probably in September when the schools have gone back. After my burning last year in Tunisia, I'm a little loathe to go in August incase its too hot!

Finished Frances!!!

I finished off this over the weekend last week, but its taken me a while to sort photos cos I've been on nights all week:-( I'm not thrilled with the result, I have to say!!! It looks fine if my arms are in the air, but when I stand, it looks really baggy around my chest, the st st section above the rib, and its putting me off wearing it tbh........... I could do with a little stuffing in my bra I think, then perhaps it would fit better!!! We'll see, but I suspect it will be one of my "in the house" handknits, which is a bit of a shame. I used stylecraft dk pure wool, which is machinewashable, and gives nice crisp stitches, quite similar to the tess dawson merino I used for Cinnabar, but a little rougher. I think it will soften after a wash though, so pleased with it really!

I've started a pair of monkey socks for me! I loved this pattern when I took part in the monkey swap, and thought I would get a pair otn! I have a few skeins of Cherry tree hill supersock in my stash, but this is the first time that I've actually knitted with it, and I really like it! Nice and soft:-)

I decided that once I had finished my sweater a month sweater, I would work on socks and wips, so apart form the monkeys, I've been working on the Bergere V neck jumper which I knitted the back of over a year ago. I really like this jumper, and the yarn, so have been enjoying knitting the front of that. I might get the front finished in january I think, and then I can move onto another wip next month. i think that I will make another Central park hoodei for my february sweater. Probably in some wendy aran whic I can throw in the washing machine. I wear my first CPH for work on night shift, and always get lots of compliments form my patients, who generally ask if I made it myself too:-)
And finally, my new favourite accessory!!!! Piglottie made me a gorgeous bag for Christmas, and its brilliant as a sock bag! Just the right size to carry about too, this has been to work with me the past week on nights too:-)

Not quite so SAD today!!!!!!

I feeling a little happier than I was last week.......... It hasn't rained quite so much over the weekend, so I've been able to get some fresh air, and I think its done me the world of good:-) Still wishing spring would hurry along though....

I've managed to do some knitting this week. I decided to join up to the ravelry group for a sweater a month through 2008, and "Frances" from Jane Ellison's Laines du Nord book 5, is my january sweater. Its almost knitted, just the collar to knit, and then the sewing up, but thats often the part of the process which I put off, and normally at this point something gets tossed aside while I cast on for something new. I've still three weeks to finish though, so happy I will finish within that time!


So....... what to do for the rest of the month??????

Just call me grumpy........

I can't remember feeling so GRUMPY for a long long time:-( I'm thinking its the cold weather, or maybe the dark days, but I wish winter was over....... Literally everything is getting on my nerves, and I can feel my patience straining much of the time at the moment. I even snapped at one of the staff at work the other day which is soooooooo unlike me........aaaaaaaggggghhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!
Maybe I need more chocolate cake, and lots of tea drinking in front of the tv with my knitting?! Of course, my knitting is not pushing its luck, and as always, I'm perfectly happy with my needles clicking away, maybe I need a week or so of just knitting??!! That made me smile:-)

I never usually make new years resolutions, cos I never manage to keep them, so see it as a bit of a waste of time. Previously, I've searched for something to be resolute about, and having found nothing, have come up with something ridiculous like resolving to go swimming every week, or stop eating chocolate.......... I hate water other than the bath, and love chocolate... nuff said really *roll*
BUT, this year, I am resolute that I WILL NOT BUY YARN!!!!! AT ALL!!!! The crafty threads forum has a thread dedicated to stashalonging in 2008, and I have opted for total abstinence. I've been looking through patterns and yarn that I have, to pick out 12 things I'd like to make for the sweater a month throughout this year, and actually, this would hardly even put a dent in my stash *roll* , I could knit for ten years without buying any yarn I think, and perhaps I would be better spending my spare cash on something else... Like a new bed, as the springs in our mattress are beginning to push me out of bed on a morning, not good!!!
I'm going to try and exercise three times a week too (not swimming though I hasten to add...)I really enjoyed jogging when I was training for the great north run, but the weather is too cold for me to venture out at present, so I'll use our cross trainer three times a week until the spring, and then get my running shoes on again. I'm going to do the race for life at Gosforth Race course this year, so need to get my fitness levels back up before May. Maybe the exercise will banish little miss Grumpy, and Little miss sunshine will return...... fingers crossed!!!!
No photos of anything today, as its so dark, but I have been doing a bit of knitting. I started another Central park hoodie in a plain purple aran, and also a bit of lace:-) Did I mention resolving to finish off some WIPS???
Hope the Grumpiness isn't catching, and I'll try to be in a better mood next time!