I am so close to finishing my vest top it's scandalous!
Here it is just after I shaped the arm holes.

And here is me knitting, thrilling picture I know but I love it cos it makes me look like a busty lady, I am not a bust lady!

That's my lovely iPhone beside me, I've found the StitchMinder app extremely useful for counting rows, before I used pen and paper, those now little known tools, but I'm a modern techy girl and knitting has gone all digital! Actually a man I know once said to me knitting is very much like Binary Code, all 1s and 0s, my knowledge limits actually understanding that one iota!!
A closer look at that app and my shiney toy.

By my next blog I will have finished and be wearing that vest. Actually sod next blog, by tonight I will have finished it!!

The Postie delivered my new batch of wool yesterday, ordered after my horrific discovery of a low stash level. Here's a snippet of each ball, a varied selection, most of which was on sale. Thinking of a cushion cover with the Big Softie, Bag with the Bigga (yes, another one, and??), some kind of wrap cardie with the Patons wool and the dress I've been harping on about for Bea with the RK luxury (ooh err, lucky her) cotton. Obviously I have more than one ball of each, cos that would be stoopid!

Started on my Vest top and it's coming along quickly and looking gooooood despite a few little errors and YO issue!
The lace pattern is looking sweet, but requires concentration, which in my world isn't easily achieved without shushing kids, squinting, furrowing my brow and sticking out my tongue. Oh that reminds me, Hubby's recent observation says I move my mouth up and down when knitting, he sniggered, thanks, now I'm going to be all self conscious and will be concentrating on non-mouth movements rather than tricky lace patterns!

One more x20 rounds of lace to go before some k1 p1 rib.

Next Project

Had a lovely Mother's Day yesterday, thanks to my lovely hubby and beautiful children. Flowers, cards, a book, chocs and a gorgeous teddy bear. I was bought the new Jodi Pilcot one, looking forward to starting that now that I've finished P.S I Love You.
I practised some cable knitting at the weekend by doing this dishcloth.
I'm not sure I completely understood the instructions. The T5B line reads:
T5B is worked over the next 5 stitches and is done as follows:
1. Slip 4 stitches onto CN and hold in back.
2. Knit 1 (from left needle).
3. Move the Knit stitch (it's on the far right) from CN to the left needle.
4. Purl 3 from CN.
5. Knit 1 (from left needle).
Note: In Step #3, you might find it easier to move that Knit stitch from CN to your right needle, and then transfer that stitch to your left needle.

But to me that leaves a stitch on the Cable Needle and after much frustration and unpicking the row again and again I decided to try different ways of using the 5 stitches and the CN to see how it worked. Here is the very messy result:


I'll keep at it, cable knitting isn't as scary as I imagined.

I won some fabulous pink cotton on eBay yesterday and the seller is over this way today and so is dropping it off! Result double-fold! 9 balls for only £5 and I get it today!
I have a definite project in mind for it, a nice vest top for moi which will be my first attempt at an adult sized garment.
Also ordered various bits and pieces online so awaiting that (nasty 7 day delivery, boo hiss) and have decided on this little dress for Bea.

It's Finished!

I did it, I love it, here it is:

To reiterate, sewing NOT my forte, stitches are a bit wonky as you can see.

Now I need another project to keep in it. I haven't got anymore lined up, but quite fancy doing a summer dress for Bea, my youngest daughter, she's 2. Please leave me some pattern ideas if you know any.

A few weeks ago I bought Let's Knit magazine, they were giving away free wool, not particularly nice wool, but free none-the-less. They had some cute patterns inside and a lovely little purse with bobbles. I knitted it up the day I bought the mag, lined it and thought "I'll get a zip next time I'm in town". However my ickle purse needed a size 10cm zip (although the pattern asked for 15cm, but my gauge was smaller) and the shops around here only started at 15cm (the pattern writer may have been aware of zip availability!)

So eBay came good, although it did mean I ended up with 10 zips for the price I would have paid for 1 in a shop. Anyhoo, so I finally sewed in the zip today. I was always planning on this being a Mother's Day present, but over the last few days I had an urge to make my own pattern for a little coin purse and do that instead, but we are now on Tuesday and Mother's Day is Sunday, I have no suitable wool in my stash (shock horror, need to rectify that!) so I have reverted to plan A, the already done purse.

I admit it was the first time I have EVER sewn in a zip, and I know it should probably be the other way round. Sewing is not my forte although I want to get better, practice...perfect and all that. Here it is btw:


While I'm on it the Knitting Bag is so very, very nearly finished, I'm just finishing the handles then I have to line it and sew it all up and glue the remaining stitched to the needles. I can't wait to see the finished article.


It's been 13 degrees and sunny in these parts over the last few days, so Hubby's scarf is hibernating! Just like this wee ickle tiny Dormouse!

Just a quickie...

I've come to a halt with Hubby's scarf, need to go to town for more wool, but it does mean I can keep on with the bag. Clickety Click.

I finished my friend's gloves yesterday and they were greatly received and now have another commission for a pair! I will make sure I take pictures of the stages this time, of two at once magic loop, because it really it so fast and not as fiddly as you might expect.

I have definitely decided that the Knitting Needle bag is mine, all mine! So I need a quick bag pattern to do in time for Mother's Day. I did do this one for myself recently and use it daily:


I could just do the same again, but I always like to try something different, we'll see how time treats me, because that bag knitted up in two hours, the lining, however, took longer as a whizz with the sewing machine I am not!

Off to trawl Ravelry and other knitting sites/blogs for inspiration...

On the needles...

Some pictures of what's in progress at the moment.

Hubby's two tone scarf and the Berry Pattern Knitting Bag. Look at that berry pattern, it's so cool and so simple. I'm doing that bag on my lovely KnitPicks Interchangeables, I love them muchly. Going from using big wooden needles to those is weird.

So recently I've been having a moan about lack of time, regardless of the fact that I'm a SAHM I can't fit in all the things I want to do. So what do I do? I start a blog!

I spend a fair amount of time on the puter anyway so I thought I may aswell show off my latest masterpieces/disasters and share techniques and hopefully in time patterns too.
I've only just started knitting again after years of abstinence, but I've gone back to it with a vengence and have become slightly obsessed. I'm far from an expert but I love discovering new (to me) stitch patterns, yarns and can spend hours trailing through patterns on Ravelry.

I have three projects on the go at the moment, Hubby wanted a scarf, Spring is hopefully just around the corner and now he wants a scarf, a chunky scarf. So scarf I am making as I'm nice like that. Double stranding two shades of brown, I cast on 35 stitches on 8mm needles. Slipping the first stitch and working in k3, p3 rib knitting the last stitch. It's working up quickly, going to need two more balls though if it's to be long enough.

I also have a pair of fingerless gloves on the go for my friend. I knit myself a pair of these recently and she would like some too. I'm doing these two at once magic loop styley. I lurve magic loop, I have banished DPNs to the bottom of the needle pile.

And I'm also knitting Knitting Needle Bag. Only just started this, I adore the berry pattern. I was intending for this to be a present, but um, I may not go through with that!

Pictures to follow...