The Proof

I said I'd been knitting in my prolonged absence, didn't I? Well I'd forgotten just what I'd started and finished til I got it all together to photograph it for the blog and Ravelry.

Back in June, Jomps and I became Auntie & Uncle to our new Nephew, Anthony. I, of course, realised 2 weeks before he was due that I HAD to knit him something. This was the first family member who has had a baby since I've been knitting and it was on the In-Law side so no pressure there then...NOT! Anyway, Jomps' brother knew it was a boy so I picked out this little set:



Pattern: Snuggly Baby Bamboo #1734 Striped Baby/Child V-Neck Pullover or Slipover Vest from the booklet Baby Bamboo Knits and Simple Baby Socks from the booklet Fiber Trends -The Magic Loop .

Yarn: Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo. Various colours

Size: 3-6 months in the vest and 0-12 months socks

Knit for: Anthony James

Comments: Loved this pattern and the yarn which gives clear crisp stitch definition. The only issue I really had was weaving in ends as the yarn is so slippery. The neck opening on the vest seemed small but I did offer to take it back to add some buttons on the shoulder seam if need be.

This was also the first time I had tried Magic Loop which I really liked, surprisingly! I think I'll be sticking to my teeny tiny circular or Harmony DPN's though!

After these were finished I found out I was pregnant and also found myself unable to knit much at all. I tried...I really tried:

Both these socks were knit with yarn that lovely Cheryl, my SP11 spoiler, sent me last year. The shorties are Cascade Fixation which is a really weird yarn to knit with, soooo stretchy! It took me three attempts to get the tension right and still ending up with completely different pooling on the two socks. The red stripey socks are in Regia Cotton India Color and are my first try at a picot hem. Despite being cotton...they are still pretty warm and I love the colours. They are also identical twins...a first for me!

And then, of course, I had to knit a little something for the bump:

Pattern: Baby to Toddler Socks by Miriam L Felton

Yarn: Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino (KPPPM)

Needles: 2.5mm Harmony DPN's

Size : Newborn

Knit for: the bump!

Comments: Oh my, I'd forgotten how cute baby knits are and how quick they are to knit! LOVE these socks even though the foot section looks huge...I guess they'll fit at some point!

So..there is the proof that I haven't been entirely idle!

Pull up a pew

I know, I know. It's been 3 months since my last confession... I've decided that it makes me a real blogger. Many blogs that I read have summer holidays, long breaks without posts, and I still read them. It doesn't put me off so I'm hoping the same can be said for anyone still remaining out there in blogland that bothers to read my little blog.

So, go on, make a brew and I'll fill you in on the news in Woolly Tales.

The kids are back to school and the summer has been a wash out. We had Jomp's kids here for half the holidays so we were busy on days out, picnics and general family stuff. My beloved Pickle continues to grow like a weed. Her vocabulary increases by the day along with her understanding that she can get anyone to do anything she asks if she just flutters her eyelashes at them! Potty training is a laugh...NOT! Still, she'll get there in the end.

Jomps and I have just celebrated our 4th Wedding anniversary and decided, as we do each year, that we'll try for another year. I thank my lucky stars to have him in my life, and I can only hope and dream that we'll be trying for another year together in 40 years time.

I guess this is as good a point as any to tell you that we have another mini Pickle on the way, due March 3rd 2009. We are both thrilled, excited and nervous about how we will cope with another little one in the house but any worries we had faded the minute we saw this little person waving at us:

I have felt terrible almost from the word go and precious little of anything, knitting or otherwise, got done for quite some time. Thankfully I'm now 15 weeks pregnant and feeling much better so on with the show!

Talking of shows.... we spent our Anniversary weekend in London. We saw Joseph starring Lee Mead which was just mindblowing. It was such a colourful show, so much to look at on stage and very funny. I really recommend it.

Then on saturday, another show... I Knit day 2008! I booked the tickets (yes, Jomps came with me, bless him) months ago and couldn't wait! It was a great day and I was thrilled to be in the company of so many knitters, everywhere you looked there were people knitting. I was very restrained:

Yes, only ball of yarn..Noro Kureyon Sock. The new Yarn Harlot book, natural Knits for Babies & Mums, a tiny sock blocker, the kitchener dog tag (I always have to stop knitting and look up the Knitty article) and a new mug.

The talk by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee was so funny. I'm not someone who laughs out loud at the cinema or the tv but she had me in stitches! I had to put my knitting down in the end or I'd have made a terrible mistake. It was such a fantastic atmosphere, everyone there for the same reason, mostly with their knitting in hand, listening to someone talk about the health benefits of knitting and telling us all how we are like Buddhist monks! It was the best 90 minutes I've spent in ages.

I was very lucky to be about 10th in the queue for the booksigning and was a bit stage struck but Stephanie made everyone feel at ease and had something personal and genuine to say to everybody (even those 3 hours back in the queue!). Jomps made her laugh and I even made it on to the Yarn Harlot's blog, scroll down to the pic of Jenny holding a picture of her daughter and baby...well that's me to the right in a LOVE(1) t-shirt talking to the better half of Jomps! Not a great picture but I don't care!

So, there you have it... all the important news. I have of course, done some knitting but I'll leave that for another post!

I'm pleased to be back.... I've missed you all. x

Tagged!

My lovely friend, Cheryl, just tagged me in a thinly veiled effort to get me blogging again so here goes!

The Rules - Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.Since I don't do this very often, here goes:

1. What I was doing 10 years ago:

I was living in London with my two very best friends 20 minutes outside London and having a ball! I was working at Great Ormond Street Hospital which I loved and was also right in the centre of London so socialising after work was a lot of fun. I was also dating my aerobics instructor...need I say more?!

2. What 5 things are on on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):

Take Pickle for her very first visit to the dentist (that should be fun, not!)
Pick up Jomp's Fathers Day Present from Pickle (more on that after Fathers Day)
Put a ton of clean clothes away (I always leave it til we have nothing left to wear!)
Have some tickle time with Pickle (Thursdays together after 3 days at work/Nursery are fab!)Catch up with letters/bills/emails (This is on my to-do list everyday!)

3. Snacks I enjoy:

Banana's - as long as they are just on the yellow side of green, I hate them if they're too soft
Cadbury's Fruit & Nut - the bigger the better
Cheese & Onion crisps - all varieties except the really cheap ones

4. Things I would do if I was a billionaire:

Have at least 5 more babies! Still, at 35, I'd have to be pretty quick!

I've always said if I won the lottery I'd like to own a bookshop. It would be full of very old leather 1st editions that smell just like old books should. It would be stocked from floor to ceiling with books stacked higgledy piggledy all over the place. On one wall there would be a huge open fire, always burning whatever the season, surrounded by lots of old leather wing backed chairs. My customers would be my friends and there would be free fresh coffee whatever the hour. Of course, being a billionaire, it wouldn't matter if I never sold a single book!

5. Places I have lived:Not very interesting:

Lancing, Shoreham, Surbiton, Kingston-Upon-Thames, New Malden, Worthing

So, let's see, who shall I tag??
1. Vikki
2. Lucy
3. Fiona
4. Charlie
5. Claire

It's taken me ages to think of these answers and to find people who haven't already done this meme. Right, I'm off to let you all know you've been tagged!

A change is as good as a rest?

It's been quiet over here, hasn't it?

I've been trying to put into words how I'm feeling but couldn't. Down? Yes but it's not descriptive enough. Fed up? Definitely yes but who isn't? Depressed? Maybe but that sounds such a serious word.

Then I was reading a blog, I forget what the subject was as I was just going from click to click, and there was the word I needed. 'Flat'. The author described how she was feeling and she was describing me.

So that's how I'm feeling. Flat. I think it sums my feelings up perfectly. There's no great ups but neither, thankfully, are there huge lows. Just this sense of being very low and not quite sure how to climb out of the little pit I find myself in.

I know why I'm feeling like I am and I know that those reasons aren't going to go away anytime soon. I really need to come to terms with a few things and get on with my life but for once, I'm finding it very hard to do.

So today, I sought solace in food! Not just any old food... home baking!

I know, I know! Food is not the answer but I needed to be busy and I've been reading lots of cupcake blogs so I fancied giving some a go!

While I baked cupcakes, the bread maker rocked and rolled it's own merry rhythm and produced this.

And whilst I iced the cupcakes

Jomps baked his first Victoria Sponge!

Surely all these goodies would make anyone feel better? I'll let you know when I've finished munching!

Lots of stash, not much knitting!

All of the above sock yarns have been bought or swapped for my sock blanket. It's so nice to get your hands on so much stash and know exactly what project it's for! The best thing is that when I've bought a ball, I know that I will get more yarn from it. What I mean is that from each 50g ball I get 5 10g mini balls. 1 goes into my blanket, 4 are for swaps. So I get 5 different sock yarn mini balls from one 50 g ball. It's a great way of satisfying my addiction to sock yarn!

The blanket is growing slowly, will post a pic when I've got to 50 squares!

Of course, now that I've cast on for the Apres Surf Hoodie, the blankie is going even more slowly! I'm really enjoying this knit so far:

It's going to be a lovely hoodie, so feminine and pretty. Really not my usual style but it will be nice to wear something light & airy on summer evenings. The RYC Cashcotton is yummy, very soft, especially surprising considering the cotton content. And I love the colour, such a pretty blue.

You would think that I would be knitting like fury with such lovely projects on the go, wouldn't you? Well I would but things keep distracting me! I ordered a copy of Elizabeth Zimmerman's 'Knitters Alamanac' which is keeping me amused. I've never read any of her books before but I think I need to buy more as I really would like to be able to have the courage to make pattern mods which EZ really encourages.

And, of course, then there's the distraction that is the mighty Ravelry!

When I'm not swapping yarns or posting on the forums, I'm looking at so many beautiful projects that I lose track of time and the knitting lies beside me looking forlorn. Last night was worse than usual! I'd read that the Ravelry shop was about to open and I wasn't going to miss out!!

Fast forward 3 hours and many thousands of F5 presses later....I was lucky enough to get in quickly as one of 5 test shoppers to try out the checkout process before the shop went live!! I was SO excited as I managed to order one of the very few Tote bags in stock, a Ravelry pin and a T-shirt! I then spent the next two hours worrying that I'd missed out due to a hiccough in the checkout but it appears that all is well and my goodies are on their way!! Woo Hoo!!

So no, not a lot of knitting has been done....but there has been lots of stash enhancement going on! It's hard to say which of these two activities I enjoy most - what about you?

Blogiversary!!

Happy Blogiversary Woolly Tales!

Yep, it's a whole year since I started my blog. Funnily enough, I had completely forgotten til I got a comment earlier reminding me! And rather conveniently I have spent rather a large amount of money of yarny type stuff today so at least I have an excuse!

So Jomps & I have had the last 2 days off and being the bad parents that we are, we still sent Pickle to Nursery. We just felt that we both desperately needed some adult time, just the two of us. I think the last time we had any of that was when she was just a bump.

We've got loads done round the house (funny how having a little person around generates so much more to do but eats all the time you have to do it all in!) and then had a fabulous lunch out today and a wander round the shops. It was SO nice to leave the house without the buggy, clean nappies and a drink/snack for Pickle!

Anyway, I know you want to see what I bought!

Well, the other day Interweave Knits arrived through the letterbox. It was my second edition since I subscribed and I wsa a bit disappointed with the Spring issue. However, the summer issue is fabulous. Plenty of patterns that I like and am capable of knitting.

I have been itching to start a new project so today was the day! I bought 10 balls of RYC Cashcotton 4 Ply in a pretty pale bluey turquoise to cast on the Apres Surf Hoodie. This is definately the most I have ever spent on a project but I just love the pattern and the yarn feels fantastic, soft yet practical. There is a lovely sheen to it and gives such a crisp stitch definition.

I am even swatching! I figure that if I'm going to spend nigh on 50 quid on yarn, the finished article better fit!

I also bought Knit Today to read over a Latte. I like it better than Simply Knitting but the patterns are pretty horrid! I won't be buying it again!


The best bit of having no buggy with us is that we could wander around the charity shops. Usually we can't fit in! So I searched for some yarn bargains but no luck. However I scored well in a new Oxfam book shop:


The Rowan Babies book does have some cute patterns in it and both of these are in mint condition for only £1.99 each... bargain!

I had sort of thought of running a contest for my blogiversary but I don't think I've got anything you lot might want! So you'll just have to make do with my ramblings and the promise that I will continue to bore you all senseless over the next year! Thank you for all your lovely comments and friendship over the last 12 months. xx

Nooo Shoo's!

A while back, I said I needed new shoes to show off my handknit socks.

Here they are! Aren't they fab? Trouble is... I feel a bit stupid showing off my socks!! I'm going to end up wearing them with blain black shop bought socks! Well, to work at least!

Have a good week everyone!

Socks!

Hello my friends. Sorry I've been MIA for a while. I've no excuses really. Just been feeling a bit down, low, blue. Call it what you will. I think I need some sun.....it's brighter here this afternoon and already I feel a bit better. Roll on the summer!

I have been knitting in my absence. It takes a lot to keep my needles and I apart these days!

So I have one FO and two WIP's to show you!

Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A.

Yarn: Posh Yarn Helena. Colourway: Maidenly

Needles: 2.5mm 12" Addi Turbo circular

Size: 4UK

Knit for: me

Comments: I must be the last person in the entire knitting world to knit Monkeys. Why did I wait? I love these socks, I love the yarn and I love the pattern!

BUT! My beautiful socks are too flaming big!!! I've yet to wash and block them so I'm hoping they shrink a bit! If I were to knit them again I think I'd leave out one pattern repeat. If they don't shrink I may have to gift them but I'm not sure I know anyone with little wide feet!!

I've also decided never to knit myself heel flap socks again. They just don't seem to fit like short row heels do. And, while we're on the subject of socks fitting...what is a high instep?? Lots of people mention it but I just don't understand what part of the foot they're talking about!

Once the monkeys were cast off I fully intended to get going on my CPH once more but alas...I was bereft without a pair of socks on the go so I cast on some socks for Tom, Jon's 14 year old:

This yarn is Opal Silk that Cheryl, my SP11 spoiler, sent me for Christmas. The yarn is so soft and Tom choose this for his socks even though the blues are pretty bright in the ball. However, it knits up into lovely denimey (is that a word?) colours so I think he'll be pleased with them.

So that's the first WIP. Onto more exciting things now!

I have been stalking all the projects on Ravelry for Shelley Kang's fabulous Sock Yarn Blanket. And I could resist it calling to me no longer! I figured that I need to get rid of all these little balls of leftover sock yarn around the house and it gives me an excuse to knit more socks thereby using up more stash! See.... it's a win-win project!

That said...I don't have that many little balls of sock yarn around. Certainly not enough for a blankie! So if any of you want to get rid of yours please drop me a line! I'm happy to pay and will accept anything so long as it contains some wool and is 4 ply! Please?? Pretty please??

Daisy daisy give me your answer do

Pattern: Daisy Cardigan by Marie Grace
Yarn: New Lanark MillsDK yarn. Colourway: Blossom & Clematis
Needles: 3.75mm Boye's Interchangeable 24" circular
Size: Size 2
Knit for: Beth
Comments: My first top down raglan. I really enjoyed knitting this all in one piece even when all the increases were done and each row was 200 stitches!

I substituted the picot hem for the picot bind off and find it works really well. It also stops the stocking stitch rolling. I also added two ties instead of one and cast on 50 st for each tie instead of the 40 as stated in the pattern.

I'm supposed to embroider daisies around the hem but I think I'll leave it as it is...don't want anything too fussy as I'm hoping Pickle will get lots of wear out of it this spring.

The fit isn't great...quite big over the shoulders and across the front but nevermind.

This is my first project using the New Lanark yarns and definately won't be my last. This cardi cost me £3 to make, you couldn't buy acrylic that cheap! The yarn was a bit scratchy but has softened considerably with washing and the drape is lovely now it's blocked. I urge you all to try it!

What goes around comes around

I had a lovely surprise in the post today. It's really made my day at the end of a pretty grotty week.

A while ago Vic contacted me to ask if I had any yarn left from the Round Dishcloth as she was crocheting a sweater for her niece and was running out of yarn. I'd bought a pack of six balls from Lidl and it was only 100% cotton so it was very cheap. So, of course I sent as much as she needed plus a bit...just in case!

Fast foward to today. Vic sent me a lovely parcel to say thank you!

In it was a cute card with Iced Gems on (do you remember those?), a bag of very tasty , very posh white chocolate raspberry eggs, a lovely little suitcase with choc eggs inside and a stunningly beautiful crocheted book mark.

I'm already tucking into the posh chocs! The book mark will be used in my knitting books which I have a habit of leaving open so the spine gets knackered and the little tin will be used for stitch markers etc when pickle has eaten all the chocs!

I certainly hadn't expected anything in return for the yarn so thank you SO much for the parcel Vic! Vic doesn't have a blog but here is her Ravelry page. Isn't that sweater cute?

BOGOF!

Buy one, get one free. Or in Gracie's case, knit one, get one free!

Back on Halloween, I showed you some Trekking XXL that Jomp's girls, Jess & Gracie had dyed. Jess is now at the toe of her first sock and doing really well...I'm thrilled for her!

Gracie, being only 10, wanted to do her own socks but as she has yet to finish her first scarf in chunky wool, I said I'd do them for her:

Pattern: Knee Socks from Streets & YO's
Yarn: Gracie's Hand-dyed Trekking XXL & oddments of Opal Uni 4ply. Colourway: Purple, pink
Needles: 2.5mm Addi Turbo 12" circular

Size: Size 6ish uk + made to measure around Gracie's calf
Knit for: Gracie
Comments: My first knee socks and I love them. I adapted the pattern slightly as Gracie is shorter than the average adult women so made the calf increases slightly closer than than the pattern calls for. That said, the socks are just a little shorter than I wanted! I also used the sewn bind off which take's forever but my normal cast off in rib is soooo tight!

I had quite a bit of yarn left and wanted to treat her as she's having a bit of a hard time at the mo, so here is a little sock pouch that she'll fill with trinkets or shells or whatever she's into this weekend!

Pattern: Soft Drawstring pouch by Joelle Hoverson from the book Last Minute Knitted Gifts Yarn: As Above!
Needles: 2.5mm Addi Turbo 12" Circular
Size: One size
Knit for: Gracie's socks!
Comments: I love this little bag! What else is there to say?

She'll be arriving in half an hour for the long weekend and no doubt I'll have to remind her to take them off so they can be washed!

All that remains now is for me to wish you all a very Happy Easter! Hope the Easter Bunny is kind to you!

Cake! Oh and a bit of knitting!

Today is my little pickle's 2nd birthday. I can't quite believe that it was 2 years ago today that she was dragged from my belly. Stubborn even in the womb, she was a breech baby who refused to be turned so a caesarian it was.

Stubborn, she still is! I have been waiting 2 whole years for someone, anyone, to tell me that she looks like me. But no. I'm still waiting! Her temperament though, is mine, all mine! She is stubborn, independant, headstrong, intelligent. She gets her sense of humour and her quickness to laugh from her Daddy.

So today we had cake and she played in her new play house.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PICKLE!

In knitting news, remember my knitting resolutions? I said that I wanted to try some form of colour work. Having searched Ravelry and also bought some yarn off a fellow Ravelry member, I deciced to try the Fake Isle Hat:

Pattern: Fake Isle Hat by Amy King published in MagKnits
Yarn: 1 skein Dale of Norway Heilo & 2 half skeins of Noro Kureyon

Needles: 4mm Boyes Interchangeable 16" circular & 3.75mm DPN's (don't own any 4mm!)

Size: Smallest
Knit for: ?Me
Comments: I practised knitting continentally first so that I could hold one colour in each hand using TECHknitter's advice. This wasn't as difficult as I first thought and I really enjoyed watching the pattern appear as if by magic. My tension was nice and even. That is until I had to switch to DPN's after the crown decreases. Then I really struggled with the tension, especially where I had to carry floats from the end of one DPN to the beginning of another.

Nevertheless, I'm pretty pleased with this hat. I love the way the Kureyon changes. The hat is a bot big and it's not really my colours but hey ho, if I ever go skiing it will be perfect!

This is certainly not my last attempt at fair isle!

Sock Blockers Rock!

A good while back I left a comment on Lixie's blog as she had mentioned that someone had contacted her to say that sock blockers might be available in the UK soon. I was thrilled and left a comment saying so. Time passes. I forgot about the comment.

Then I had an email from someone saying that it was her and her husband who had started producing sock blockers. She asked if I'd be willing to test a prototype blocker and maybe write a small review for use on their eBay shop. Was I willing? Well, as you can guess, I jumped at the chance!

Nicky then sent me a prototype blocker in my size and I set to work!

The blockers are made in sustainable birch ply wood and then varnished with/without the birch tree logo.

Anyway, what did I think of the blocker?

Well, I've always wanted sock blockers but thought they were a lot of money for things you dry wet socks on! However, when mine arrived I was surprised by how weighty it was, and the thickness of it. No flimsy thing here, this little beauty is a good half an inch thick and beautifully finished.

For scientific purposes, I hand washed two pairs of my hand knits. I dried one of each pair on the blocker and the other one was dried flat.

Having never blocked socks before, the difference was amazing. In both the blocked socks the patterns were really opened up and much more visible. The Hedera on the right a just a tad snug but after blocking the sock was much more comfortable to wear. My cast on for toe down socks is always a bit tight but again, blocking relieved some of this tension making the socks easier to put on.

Let me just mention that I am in no way connected to Nicky or her shop Wightwood Sock Blockers and I'm sure that any well made sock blockers perform just as well as my prototype.

That said, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend these blockers and I think it's nice to support a British company, not too far down the road from me as they start a new venture. I'm even going to order the 2nd blocker from them so I have a matching pair!

So, if you fancy treating yourself to some sock blockers, give Wightwood Sock Blockers a try! They even do children's sizes, starting at newborn, to give those gift socks a professional look!

Happy Mothers Day

To all Mums out there, I wish you a Happy Mothers Day.

This is my third Mothers Day with Pickle in my life. Since her arrival I have valued my Mum so much more than I ever did. It seems to take being a mum yourself to truly appreciate what your mum has done for you over the years.

Since I am adopted, my mum didn't get up with me in the night for feeds and nappy changes. She didn't see my first smile or hear my first word. She didn't witness my first steps or take me to school for the first time.

But she loved me when it seemed that no-one else would. She told me that I was important when no-one else cared. She opened her heart and let her love surround me, wrapping me in it's warmth and keeping me safe.

Most people aren't able to choose their mum. It's a lucky dip if you get a good one or not. I was able to choose mine. And I chose good. My mum doesn't even know I have a blog but nevertheless, I will say it here, I love you Mum. Thanks for all that you do, all that you have done, and all that you will do. I couldn't have picked a better mum.

Where oh where

can my little dog be?

Uh no......Can my knitting mojo be?

Seriously. It's gone. Kaput. Finis. Vanished.

I've been ill the last week with tonsillitis. The antibiotics are making me feel horrid. Jomp's kids were here for 4 days over half term. Pickle is 2 next week but thinks she's 16. I guess all these things have made my mojo run away in despair.

I've tried to hard to get it back. I've tried a few rounds of Gracie's knee high socks that are sitting woefully on the side making me feel guilty every time I walk in the room.

I've bought some yarn to make Tom a We call them Pirates hat. It's Dale of Norway. 5 balls in black.

I've browsed Ravelry for hours on end til I'm even bored of that.

I tried something new:

Pattern: How to Log Cabin by Kay Gardiner & Ann Shayne from the book Mason-Dixon Knitting Yarn: Various Lily Sugar n Cream Cotton
Needles: 3.5mm Rosewwod Straights
Comments: My first attempt at Log Cabin. It's really quite addictive!

And then I tried something else new:

Pattern: Stripes (and Stripes) Forever by Chelsea Fowler-Biondolillo from the book Happy Hooker
Yarn: Various Lily Sugar n Cream cotton
Hook: 5mm Clover Soft Touch
Crocheted for: Me
Comments: My first crochet project. I'm a bit worried I might be going over to the dark side as I really enjoyed it once I got past the few row.

Then I tried something old:

These are my Hederas shown originally here but the dye had faded so I overdyed them with more Kool Aid. The keen eyed amongst you will notice that one has been blocked, one hasn't. More on that to come soon.

But alas, there is no sign of the aforementioned mojo putting in an appearance. Woe is me. What am I to do?

Edited to add..I've given up trying to format this post properly, apologies!!

May the force be with you

The sign ups for Sock Wars III are open. I've read quite a bit about it and fancy giving it a shot.

But it would take me about two weeks to knit a pair of socks so I imagine I'll be killed in the first round. At least you are guaranteed a pair of hand knit socks, knit by someone other than me!

So, your advice please! Has anyone participated in Sock Wars I or II? Is anyone having a go this time? If not, why not?

Love and hate

I hated knitting them, hated them with a passion. But now they're finished I think they're pretty cute!

Pattern: A very vintage (pattern cost 9p!) Emu Dolls Clothes

Yarn: Various acrylic from stash & Patons Fab DK. Colourway: Pink and variegated

Needles: 3.5mm Indian Rosewood straights
Size: Fits 18" Doll

Knit for: Eevie-May's Dolly

Comments: I will NEVER knit these again...nor any other doll's clothes!

So, I did manage the crochet edging using my copy of Happy Hooker and I have to say that this edging is very easy and really finishes the pieces off. I won't be so afraid of my crochet hook in future. The ribbons also tie everything in together.

All in all, I was really pleased with the items and was very pleased to wrap them up and gift them to a very happy 4 year old! BUT NEVER AGAIN!! You can hold me to that!

Souper socks

I have finally managed to get some good pictures of my lastest socks. Not that I've been waiting for the weather, hasn't it been glorious? No, I had to get a very important prop to get the best pics of my best socks!

Pattern: Baby Cable Rib by Charlene Schurch from the book Sensational Knitted Socks
Yarn: Posh Yarn Emily. Colourway: Peasouper
Needles: 2.5mm Harmony DPN's

Size: UK4
Knit for: Me
Comments: I know I say this every time I knit with Posh Yarn but I am in love! I've not tried Emily before but I heartily recommend it, so sproingy (is that a real word?) and soft. It's a bit thicker than I'm used to but it knits up into a lovely dense fabric.

I used my Harmony DPN's that my SP11 pal Cheryl,sent me, for the first time and they are a joy to work with. There is absolutely no slippiness but no drag either, the yarn just seems to know where it's supposed to be on them. They may even have changed my mind about DPN's as I usually knit socks on a 30cm Addi Turbo circular.

The pattern was so easy to follow and had just enough to do to stop the sock becoming boring. When I first flicked through SKS, I really didn't understand the instructions but now that I have worked from the one of the patterns it makes complete sense!! Again, this was a present from Cheryl so thanks again!

And lastly, I must, just must talk about the colour. I am so not a green person. I don't think I own a single thing that is green. I grabbed this skein in the madness that was the Posh Yarn New Year sale, and when I say grabbed, I mean grabbed! It was a case of get what you can before it was gone. so this one ended up in my basket. When the lovely pink parcel arrived, I loved them all but this wasn't one of my favourites. I mean it's green....but not only green...it's almost neon green!! But it leapt out of the stash basket and said "KNIT ME"!! And now I just love the colour, so cheery and bright. And these socks look fabulous with jeans.

Now all I need is some Mary Janes so I can show them off!!