Confessions of Iknit Day purchases.................

I really didn't buy very much honest!





















I can justify each one of these lovely purchases.
The needles were money left from my birthday back in January.
The Kraemer yarn has been on order for a couple of months.
The lovely little socktopus gadgets are going away to Father Christmas to reappear as if by magic on Christmas day in my stocking and the buttons are for my February Lady Sweater finished back in July and in desperate need of some closeur!
The Malabrigio was the only real induldence as I really don't need any more sock yarn but I just loved the colour and there was a lot of buzz about it when it arrived in Alice's shop. I have already decided that I am going to knit the Shurgatal Socks that Alice designed which are on the insideloop. So all perfectly justifiable as I said in the first place.

NOTE: The baggu was a free gift with purchase from Socktopus. I am not saying how much you had to spend to get one just in case I incriminate myself.

It's been a while...........................

It really has been a while since I last updated but I have to say things have been pretty manic over the last month. I can't believe the last thing I posted was the Brownie recipie.
Easter weekend went very well and seems like ages away and it was spent with various friends over various meals - a very relaxing weekend indeed. A good job really so at least I was rested when the phone call came on the Tuesday. The phone call that every teacher dreads - the inspector rang to say he would be coming on Thursday. So we had just over 24 hours notice to get all the paperwork gathered up and in the right place, email off documents and do a general tidy around the school. I was first up to meet at him at 8am. This was all going on alongside the regular parent consultations and sending out of mid year reports. My days off that week were numbered. Having said all that I still managed to get to the Kniterati book group and do a stint at the Relax and Knit stand at Olympia at the Stitch and Craft show. I am not sure how I actually managed to get to Friday. No time to recoup at the weekend as it too was already packed to bursting.
Saturday was the usual ballet run followed by DH going off to Cambridge for a reunion dinner and Em and I dashing to Putney for knitty meet up with the Crimson Cafe Crew. That would have been fine except for the problems with the trains and signals between Mortlake and Putney being down. Anyway we made it and were able to chill for a little while at least. Our return journey was nowhere near as fraut. The Sunday presented its own problems. An early start to get to Eastbourne for a joint retirement and 75th Birthday celebration. No problem I hear you all say. Normally no but when one of the required party is in Cambridge and his train stops outside Bishop Storford for one and a half hours due to a fire in the signal box you do start to worry just a little.
Finally we were all in the same place to set off on our journey and in the end this was fairly uneventful and I made it back for knitting group on time.
The next few days were spent just getting ready to go away on holiday and get packed in between attending a production of the Pest House (a collaborative dance show from locals schools), planning for the next term, school events etc and keeping my sanity.
By the Friday at 9:15pm we finally took off and headed for Antalya, Turkey. If I ever needed a holiday this was it so I was pleased when I was greeted with the following scences for a weeks knitting by the pool. I make no apologise for the large pictures.
Papillon Hotels - Hotel Belvil, Belek

I have to confess to not actually going into the water all week as it was still a little too cold for my liking at this time of year.

This is one of the fabulous views from the hotel window.

This was the main restaurant and facities building.
These were taken on the Sunday when it was snow back at home.

I have managed to get a fair bit on knitting done including on the plane there and back. I was able to start and finish my Sea Vines vest kit which I had for my birthday and knit one half of a pair of socks. I was really pleased that having finished the Fog sweater, which was the first that I had knit in the round that I would adapt the Sea Vines vest and do the same. It has worked really well and no sewing up. Hurray. I wanted to wear it on the last evening but it will need blocking first so that you can see the pattern propaly as it ruffles up at the moment.







This was sitting up on the balcony of our room. The colour of the top and me were almost indistinguishable at points over the week and the legs are still suffering.


I started these on the plane and took Brittany wooden needles and the yarn but didn't cast on until I was actually in the air and it was too late to do anything about it. That way I thought the worst that could happen would be that I would have to hand over my Brittany's but not have to frog anything. The yarn in Cherry Tree Hill and is just divine to knit with. The pattern is my own of sorts so I will write it up when I have a bit of time although it is nothing adventurous really just basic socks with a cable running down it. I am really pleased with the way they have knitted up but a very tight squeeze to get a pair out in the size I am knitting for as I only had 51grms left after the first sock.

I took my lovely Harmony Knitpicks in my main luggage for the weeks knitting and these proved invaluable, especially when it came to putting stitches onto holders. You just leave them there and then screw on ends and attach the options to a new wire. Fantastic. Also the Know knits pouches have also been just right for holiday knitting near to water. I got the small one from Socktopus and the medium size one was a gift from ORK at Christmas, I also own a large one which stayed at home that I bought in Iknit just after my birthday.

Update on the Fog..................

I am making good progress. I have now used 17 balls of the rooster yarn and I am past the divide for the arms. I am currently knitting up the back of the sweater. The knitpicks have made easy work of the ribbing. Dividing for the front and back was also easy work for the knitpicks by stoppering off the cable holding the back and starting a new cable for the front. The whole switch over was effortless and was done while attending the Knitterati book group and discussing The Pearl by John Steinbeck.

Go get knitted..........................................

Well that's what I did on Saturday with a group of other Ravelers. Four of us travelled down by car to Bristol, Robynn, Emma and myself driven by Gabrielle arriving at Get knitted at around 11am where we met up with other Ravelers from around the London and south west area. Some travelled by train and some were lucky enough to have this wonderful Aladins cave as their local yarn shop and hopped on a local bus or even walked around the corner.
On first arriving it was clear that seating may be a bit of an issue. Two sofas were already full and as we arrived so were many others. Ok so we managed to bags the only remaining sofa around the corner from the others. It was later discovered when rummaging at the magazines underneath that we had pitched up at the blokes spot. It is worth pointing out at the furthest point away from this sofa at the other end of the shop was the children's play area! Need I say anymore.
It was great to put so many faces to what up until this point were only Ravelry IDs, these people actually had real names too.

This picture was taken a little later in the afternoon after our lovely lunch but certainly gives a good feel of the day.

So ORK and N0nnah gave Erquesome a little help with colour choice and earned their yarn enablers badges, well done girls.
While this was going on I was raiding the Knitpicks so that I could complete the harmony set that I got for Christmas with some sock needles and some 40cm circulars. These have now been confiscated until my birthday later this week.

Discussions over suitable yarn for something that the Yarnharlot has done were made and colours debated over. This is how some of the yarn ended up here for a decent rummage. I had to confess to not knowing about either this particular yarn or about the pattern - oh well.

And then of course there was lunch.

We trundled off to a lovely little cafe on the same shopping parade called the Dutch pot and I had my first taste of real Carribeann food. We managed to collect Tussahsilk (Jaqui) and Nonnah (Shannon) with us too. Unfortunately the photo I have taken isn't a great one as I didn't quite get everyone in but I did have better luck with Jaqui's camera after I had put half the decorative plant in my mouth so it didn't get in the way! I have to say I hadn't relalised quite how spicy it could be and I was reminded of this on the journey on the way home.
After lunch (quite late I might add) we returned to the shop to munch our way through more of the cake goodies that were on the tables. I can't imagine why I haven't mentioned these before only ever coming second to Yarn! The apple and ginger cake was delicious - thankyou to the baker.
Following a feast of cake Gabirelle indulged in some more enabling where she persuaded Emma to try on one of the knitted samples on display in the store. She then insisted that it be drapped appropriately and although you probably can't quite see her in the picture she is there holding up the pattern book for effective and accurate drapping.

This was an action shot of the drapping, hence the required movements and the small element of blurr.
In addition to my Knitpicks I did make a few further additional purchases which I have not yet had time to photograph. They included some baby yarn that was on sale, blues, pinks and whites depending on what shade the babies turn out. I also picked up two skeins of sock weight yarn aswell as some lovely buttons for my almost finished gloves. Thankyou Emma for your fantastic choice.
All in all it was a fab day and I just want to say thank you again to Gabrielle for driving us all the way there and back, it was greatly appreciated.

A knitty Christmas.........

Yes I have finally got around to taking some pictures of my lovely knitty christmas gifts. I was very lucky indeed. Lots of lucious goodies and not a ball of yarn in site.
So what did I get?





Well you can see I finally got my lovely Harmony wood Knitpicks - they are just divine. They are so smooth and I am now going to ask for the DPNs for my birthday (which I am hoping to purchase on my jolly out to Getknitted next Saturday).
I also received the lovely Lantern Moon crochet needle case from my Mother in law (you can grab a bargain if you are quick as Robynn has these on sale on her website at the moment - click here). I was also given a larger size Know knits pouch for those bigger than socks projects from Gabrielle who had it couriered over from Canada. (A very willing courier I might add.) I also finally got my hands back on the Jane Brockett book - The Gentle Art of Domesticity which was whisked off me as I came home through the door after my venture out to Crafternoon Tea back in October. I had a chance to sit down and have a read today and I was inspired so took the following photo after putting my recent John Lewis Sale yarn purchases (they were allowed they are for presents for others so don't count as stash as they are allocated gifts not yet fully formed) into a basket and all my odds and ends into a glass vase. I also added a couple of sets of needles for effect.



And I am sure that it also inspired this:



I was also very pleased to receive Not Just Socks - Sandi Rosner. I already have Not Just More Socks which I have already knitted a number of items from. I am looking forward to knitting the mittens on the front cover. Stitch and Bitch Nation also appeared from my sister in law and there are a number patterns I have bookmarked aswell.