The Postman Always Rings Twice.

Well perhaps he doesn't always ring twice but, he did this week and I have been really spoilt! First the BlueADT sent me this.
She knows me well my favourite colour in sock yarn for my birthday so I am planning what I am going to make with that. I always have good intentions when it comes to socks and I do finish them for other people but it seems that making them for me is a little more of a struggle.
Which is why the second time he rang I got really excited as he brought my rowan exchange gift !! I was beginning to think I had been forgotten but it seems there had been a little confusion over my address. It was definately worth the wait.
Samantha is busy trying to move house but still found time to make me these. Do you recognise them? Yes they are the mockery socks the same ones I started for myself at the knitting in public day. The difference is these are finished and I am wearing them - looking at my feet as I type.
The others are stashed! The other goodies included a kangaroo book mark and chocolate both of which the kids are very interested in. Some beautiful note paper that I think she has made herself. A set of dpns and some gorgeous pink yarn one ball in lace weight and a skein of lovely soft alpaca.And a lovely book of summer knitting projects which I am planning/ drooling over.
I have not only been planning future projects this week but knitting manically and I finished my Lady Sweater.


I really enjoyed/ loved making this it I found the top down construction facinating and although I would have to say it didn't turn out quite as I had anticipated I have had lots of compliments about it and have even inspired another knitter to make one.
A first for me is that I have been tagged for Meme by PrincessPea
Here are the rules:

Link to the person who tagged you.
Post the rules on your blog.
Write six random things about yourself.
Tag six people at the end of your post.
Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
Let the tagger know your entry is up.

So, here are six random things about me.

I can pop my left hip in and out.

I often end up rescuing wildlife

I have a derelict 1934 Bentley living in the garden.

I am phobic about foam especially wet foam it makes me gag!

I knew I was having twins from being five weeks pregnant.

I am not welsh!

Six of you is harder
but here goes

BlueADT

Knit Damm and Blast it

Isobel

Samantha

DropOne

Ysolda

Been busy!

Apparently it seems that I cannot crochet and blog at the same time. Though, in my defence it has been incredibly busy here for the last few weeks. My aunts, Sandy, Pam and Donna came over from Canada to stay for two weeks. We had a wonderful if not a little hectic time. My auntie Sandy is a knitter so it was a good excuse to visit Coldspring Mill for a little stash enhancement. We also went for a day trip to York for the day where, more important than York Minster is sited Duttons for Buttons. I had the foresight to take a little wool from both Jude

and February’s Lady Sweater and picked up to perfect buttons.
It really is a wonderful shop well worth a visit though if you can’t go,I was informed if you send them a scrap of fabric or yarn they will do their best to match it.
I hadn’t quite finished my Helon dress as the aunties left on the 31st at 5.30 in the morning but I had finished it by the end of the day. I am really pleased with the result. The pattern was really straight forward and with exception of the bottom trim incredibly quick! I have several other crochet projects that I now want to tackle I can see it as a very good way of using stash yarn very quickly!




But in the meantime I have started my February’s Lady Sweater. I must admit I was drawn mainly to the colour of this on the pattern but, I really like the colour of the Tivoli Aran that I have chosen although it is a little more scratchy than I would have liked and the actual sweateris really attractive though I wish I had spread the buttons a little further apart or added a fourth. It is (I think) the first thing I have ever made top down and I can really see the potential of knitwear made like this. Though having tried it on I think the sleeve head could be a little tighter.

Peaks and Troughs

And we are not just talking mountains! The peaks have been that we just spent a week holidaying in Wales with my family. The weather wasn’t great but to be honest we go more for the peace and quiet than the weather. We stayed in a bungalow this time not far from Cader Idris. I have wanted to start the Helon Dress from Rowan 43 for quite a while but as I am not as confident in my crochet as in my knitting, I have kept putting it off. Even though I have had loads of encouragement from Chris including a sample of what it was supposed to look like! A week with nothing else to do seemed the best time to start. I have managed to complete the sleeves and have started the back. My confidence is growing and I am trying to finish it before the end of August.


A definate trough was that Whilst we were away I had a birthday:( I am having a bit of a crisis about being so old but, my mum spoilt me with a couple of books that I have been salivating over for a while a gorgeous totally impractical pair of shoes
and a delicious carrot cake. The books....Loop Vintage Crochet I saw when I did the crochet workshop at Rowan there are some gorgeous things in it. The Inspired to Knit is very inspirational and also looks like it might be stash busting which is always good!Though I am determined that I will finish my dress before starting anything else.She also whilst roaming Aberystwyth stopped to tie her shoe lace and fell into a wool shop. Now that is what I call taking your parental responsibilities seriously! claires wools It really is a lovely shop. The owner and staff were really friendly towards me and the hoard of children that I brought in. I bought some lovely green Aran yarn to make the February sweater. It made me really wish I had a LYS.
The other major thing (apart from getting older) which I can't quite decide on it's peak or trough status that has happened is that after nine years of studying with the Open University I have got my BSC(hons). It feels very strange not to be studying or deciding what I am going to study next as it has taken up a large chunk of my adult life. I probably won’t be going to a graduation ceremony as the closest is in London on a Friday morning not really conducive for conducting the school run!

Two years today.

I just realised as I started writing this that it was two years since I started writing my blog. When I first started I didn't even tell anyone that I was writing it. Now I read back at the original entries the whole thing is pretty formal and quite stilted. As I was unsure how much information that I wanted to share. I am more relaxed when I write now. Happy to share bits of my life. I have met so many lovely people through their comments and then subsequently reading their blogs. So thank you to everyone who has commented over the last two special years.




As soon as I had sent off my exchange gift I again picked up Juliet the garter stitch was a bit wearing but once I got onto the bodice it flew by and I finished it a couple of days ago and I have to say I am really pleased with the result. I had the Rowan cashcotton in my stash for a couple of months but wasn’t really sure what I was going to do with it until I saw the pattern for Juliet. I think the combination of pattern and soft fluffiness of the yarn makes for a really feminine top. The pattern suggested closing the top with either a button or a ribbon. But, I thought I would like a brooch. I spent several afternoons browsing pages on ebay until I found this 1950’s brooch which turned out to be perfect.
It does however need the ribbon as well to just pull it in. The actual pattern is so simple yet very effective. So it is easy enough for a beginner and mindless enough for everybody else.

In April Bluetortoise, J and I had a day trip out to a patchwork shop where I found a lovely little bag pattern. Perfect for using scraps! Anyway we decided we would all have a go at making one most of the scraps were mine as neither of the others hoard as much as I do. We have spent several lovely evenings choosing the perfect scraps of cloth and then cutting out all of the little pieces. Each one is totally different. But when I use mine I shall think of my friends.

Sharing the love!

At Christmas, I was given probably the most useful present ever. My friends Blue Tortoise and Judith made it for me. It is based on the pattern by Mandy Shaw. Which I had bought several years before and not got around to making – a bit too much effort for myself I guess. They borrowed the pattern and as a surprise thought I would use it for my sewing things only but, it fits my circular needles, DPNS, pliers in other words I have it stuffed with everything remotely crafty that fits. The only time in fact my sewing Angel hasn’t been useful was when I mislaid it for a week and literally couldn’t do anything! Some helpful person had put it in with the clean washing.
Last Sunday was Judith’s birthday and I was completely at a loss as to what to give her. So I asked …..And she said that she would like one of these. It was really good fun as I hadn’t had my sewing machine out properly for ages. So Wednesday afternoon I swung into action. The pattern is reasonably straight forward so long as you can sew as some of the instuctions and diagrams were a little garbled. I had to re-cut the outside fabric as the original was far too small for the innards. Also the way the zip is put in is very strange (well to a dressmaker at any rate). I really like the thimble holder and the needle holder they really are cute. The fabric was left over from a baby quilt I made last year.




The sad thing is I can’t remember anything about the quilt or who the recipient was. Both colours look lovely with the denim. The buttons came from my button stash, Elenya and I had them all spread out on the ironing board choosing just the right ones for flower centres. We had a birthday celebration on Thursday and I gave it to her then.which is our quilting day. I am just wonder how full it will be by next Thursday,if it is anything like mine it will be stuffed.

Catching up.

Italy was fantastic! It seems like a long time ago now as we have been back about a week. Sorrento was having a heat wave whilst we were there and the temperatures were over 32 most of the time. Not really conducive to doing very much but there was so many things that we wanted to see that even when the locals were enjoying a siesta we were traipsing about looking at things.

I am not really a gardener but, it was amazing to see things that we would only ever be able to grow in the house growing in people’s gardens. I particularly loved this purple flower which grew with great abundance everywhere if anyone knows what it is I would love to know.

On Saturday we spent the day in Sorrento town centre, it is a very vibrant place. St Francis of Assisi is buried there and although no one is quite sure why the cats come to visit him.
All of the cats are fine boned and thin coated my Tigger would fit right in. Sorrento is renowned for its leather shops and the most amazing marquetry; we got a demonstration on how they did that and how they make cameos. Although I have never really liked cameos you have to realise how amazing it is to create something so intricate from a piece of shell!
On Monday we spent the day in Pompeii,

I found this a very moving experience much of it isn’t in tact but you can get a real feeling of the city as it is filled with people. It is still filled with black ash and tiny pieces of lava. We came home filthy. The plaster casts of the people are housed in Perspex case several of them have their arms around each other. Italy is expecting Vesuvius to erupt again at anytime I fervently hope that no other casts can ever be made. Mario thought he should get a photo of me in the kitchen but it turns out that it was one of the first Take Aways

On Tuesday we went with another couple, Dave and Hannah, on the train to visit Herculaneum another town destroyed by Vesuvius.


Unlike Pompeii it was virtually perfect as it had been covered by mud slides rather than ash. Mosaics and paintings were so beautifully preserved they could have been new. It was strange to be standing a town and then look up and see the new town that has been built on top looming over you.
We had planned to visit Vesuvius but Hannah and I came out of the wrong entrance and managed to get very, very lost. I was glad that I was with someone else. We didn’t have the Italian dictionary with us that was with the guys. Most people walked past us when we tried to ask for help. One kind man drew us a map – shame it wasn’t for the train station. We finally got to a station by making Ivor the Engine chuffing sounds at an old man who took pity on us and walked us to an unmanned station. From there the guys came and got us. I have never been so grateful to see anyone.
Wednesday we visited Capri what can I say ………WOW!!

The views are spectacular we went to the very top in a chair lift. We both held our shoes in our hands for fear of losing them. Beneath us were other people’s hat, scarves and shoes. Sea is the most amazing colour, if they could capture that in wool I would knit with it. !
There were some very strange cows living there must be because they are on an island. Mario tried to milk one without any great success

Thursday, the last day of our holiday, we travelled by bus along the Amalfi coast to Positano. I couldn’t have gone all of the way to Amalfi as although the view is breath taking it is very windy and the bus was very hot. It was a lovely restful day as we whiled away the hours eating ice-cream and watching the locals.

We got back just in time because on Friday Tigger had another stroke and has been left with little or no sight. I took him to the vets on Saturday morning expecting the worst news but, they told me he would adapt – and he has. He can find his food and the tray although he mews pitifully until he can go into the garden. He has even been trying to get up the stairs but, I keep pulling him off there as I am not sure how easy he would find it to get back down. Of course sleeping,curled up with Oriana is still a favourite activity.

I didn’t get much knitting done in Italy as it was too hot. I took Jude with me and only finished the rib on the back. I have made up for it since I got home and completed Melon for my Rowan International Exchange.


I packaged it up with a couple of skeins from socktopus and have sent it off to its new home. Although Kidsilk haze is awful if you make a mistake it really redeems itself when it is blocked. I really hope it is liked.