Gingerbread Train.

This years gingerbread offering is a train. Once again we cheated; kit from Aldi. This was a bit trickier than the house to put together but still a lot less bother than the agony of starting from scratch.

Christmas Cake

I finished icing the cake on Christmas Eve. The cute marzipan Santa and tree are from Dunn's.

Christmas Outing

As Pauline was leaving us for the USA, the Foyles group had planned a day trip to a lovely National Trust Pub. Weather reports said the snow would hold off til the weekend but conditions changed overnight and so we decided to cancel. We met at Adrienne's house and were enjoying a cup of tea by the fire when the first flakes fell. very quickly there were several inches on the ground and so we drove to Nest. Once again, i was unbelievably good and resisted the yarn but I did buy some Drops pattern books and some Addi Lace needles. It is such a lovely shop I want to support them.

Pauline arrived carrying Koji's skateboard which she'd kindly lugged all the way from new York. After a quick browse, we headed to Crouch End for lunch. The food was amazing as ever and we swooned at the cake selection and educated Jenny in the ways of meringue. Then Pauline educated us in the authenticity of a Pavlova.

Although it wasn't the day we had planned, It was very enjoyable. Foyles will be very strange without Pauline.

Stopped at Dunns before getting the bus and bought these fabulous cakes for the boys.

Secret Santa

Santa was very generous again this year. A Just Enough Ruffles scarf and fingerless gloves in cashmere, some wooden needles and a pincushion. Lovely!

Bulgarian Socks

The boys returned from their ski holiday to Bulagaria with a present of these hade knit socks. They are really thick and warm, just what I need to wear in my snow boots. Brilliant choice.

Unfortunately, the holiday wasn't such a hit. They ended up sleeping at Gatwick due to the snow disrupting flights only to find that Bulagaria was having the warmest winter for 90years. The ski equipment was dated, there wasn't much snow, Hiro and Akira missed two days skiing because they caught cold and Koji had an allergic reaction which left his face so swollen I didn't recognise him when he arrived home.The food was so salty they couldn't eat it and my boys eat anything! Yet, inspite of it all, they still say they had a good time.

Spring Forward Socks

I finally got round to grafting the toes of my socks. I love this pattern as it is only two rows and so really easy to memorize. I hate having to keep checking charts but am bored with plain socks. These socks were made with Lorna's Laces sock yarn. I bought some odd skeins on one of our trips to Get Knitted which is why the cuffs, heel and toes are in a different colour.

Fruit Salad Citron

The Citron pattern on Knitty must be the most popular pattern since Clapotis. Of course I had to join the crowd and knit one. I had this yarn in by stash. it is Eva by Posh Yarns. The silk content makes it really soft, just perfect for round the neck. I would have loved to have made it larger but of course I only had one skein.

I call this my Fruit Salad Citron because it reminds me of the chews by Trebor. I had to buy some to prove the point but found they'd updated the packaging and the sweet wasn't as bright as I remembered in my chemically enhanced childhood.

Sweater for Koji

Koji is a rare being, in that he always knows exactly what he wants and has very definite ideas about what he likes. Consequently, he is an absolute joy to knit for as there are never any mistakes. Designs are quickly dismissed or accepted and he is very exacting when it comes to colour. We once left Liberty's empty handed as he decided they didn't stock the right green. His number one priority is that the yarn must be soft and not itch. He suffered from childhood eczema so he is the only one of my sons who doesn't think it is bonkers to walk around with a skein of yarn stuffed down his T shirt as a test run.

He chose this pattern by Kim Hargreaves because of its simplicity. I did change the collar a little. The yarn was bought on ebay and is made of several strands wound together. I am convinced it is at least part alpaca as it is so light, springy and soft. A joy to work with.The finishing touch was the vintage buttons Koji found in my button tin.I can only see one problem with this sweater; that it does not grow with its owner. despite being a perfect fit when it was finished earlier this year, it is now starting to look too short.

Interweave Fall 2010

Fell through my letterbox this week and a few items went straight on to my never ending to do list.
I will make the Alpen socken and the Bavarian Tulip mittens as I already have the yarn in my stash. I do love the Proverbial cap but will probably never make it as I don't suit beanie type hats. The Plein Air tote is a possible; the double stranded yarn would make it sturdy. Also considering the Cloisonne Jacket in two shade of grey and talking Makoto into the Point Gammon Pullover. I like the Leyfi Pullover but the neck looks a little uncomfortable and I'm concerned that it will make anyone with boobs look huge. I am improving in selecting projects that I will actually wear.
I was particularly interested in Leitmtif Cardigan by Carol Feller. At the Zimmerman talk at Ravelry Day in Coventry last year, there was a woman in front wearing a great knitted top so I asked her about the design. It was Carol and one of her own designs. She probably doesn't even remember , but I love being able to put a face to a name. She was very friendly and talked about getting the yarn from the USA and the Lizard Ridge I was knitting, so of course I looked her up and have been following her designs ever since. Several are on my list mainly because of their wear ability. How many things have you knitted that have never made it out the house?

Too busy stripping!

Yes, I've been a bad blogger. In truth, I haven't really been knitting much at all because I decided that I was mentally and emotionally strong enough to re enter the world of home improvements. When we bought this house I had great plans which quickly evaporated when the reality of expenses and dealing with builders kicked in. As the boys were young and wrecking everything in sight, it didn't seem worth the stress. I would really like to continue to hide my head in the sand but we've now reached the stage where work absolutely needs to be done. This is an Edwardian house which requires skilled workers. Most take one look and then never come back!

We sent Koji and Akira to Japan on their own this year so I could devote my time to the house. I am exhausted. I have looked at so many bathrooms, paint charts, architects plans etc I can't make a decision any more and all the while pound signs keep flashing in front of my eyes.

As a distraction I have been stripping wallpaper. Tedious but strangely satisfying as I can actually see some progression. With a face mask,goggles and a towelling turban to keep the dust out of my hair,I am a fright. This look is completed by a pair of giant earphones as I can't stand those torturous tiny ear plug things. Since the end of Lime n Violet, I've been searching for something to take their place. Sadly, nothing competes. I discovered their podcast after my Dad died and laughed till I cried. I did enjoy a podcast by Stephen Fry on " iTunes Meet the Author" about the development of computers and the Internet age. Fascinating and entertaining , even for a technophobe like me.

Bee Stripe Jaywalkers

One of my favourite sock patterns, I thought the thin stripes of Lorna's Laces Bee Stripe would work really well but just look at the black pooling. I did try to convince myself that the black abstract pattern added interest but it didn't work.

Frogged!

Bobbin Lace

Hendon library have started a Knit and Knatter session every fourth Thursday. Its a great idea and Lauren, the librarian, does a great job of making everybody welcome and sharing information. The group are very different to the Foyles group so it is really interesting. One of the ladies is about to retire to France and brought some of her lace to show us.


I have always fancied trying this craft. I always knew it would be time consuming but after discovering that this tiny little piece is about two hours work I really don't think its the craft for me. Here I must confess that I do have a cushion and selection of bobbins stashed in the loft.

Clapotis

I finally wore the Clapotis I began when the snow scrambled my brain. It knit up quickly enough but it took me until April to sew in the ends, just in time for the crocuses. Even the snowdrops were two months late this year.


I bought the Lorna's Laces Lion and Lamb in Sweetie from Pauline at the last yarn swap. I love Lion and Lamb and have completed two other clapotis using this yarn. I admit the colourway is bright; Pauline hated it and eldest son said it was disgusting but I am a sucker for anything purple. The dropped stitches help to stop it being overpowering.....I think!

Bella's Mitts

For somebody who knits I have an amazing lack of scarves,gloves and not a single hat. How can this be? I suppose most winters here are so mild there's no real incentive but this winter caught me short and I had to resort to rummaging through the boys things to find a beanie which wasn't emblazoned with skulls and vaguely hygienic.


I tend to avoid knitting mitts/gloves because I am so careless I always return home with just one. I can't bear to think that I've wasted all that time. The shops could only supply cheap and nasty or eyewateringly expensive, so I decided to take the plunge. This pattern by subliminal rabbit is fun and knits up really quickly. I cast on at the Unravel festival but have only just got round to sewing in the ends . I used three skeins of Mirasol Sulka in Pepper. Thick, beautifully soft and a haze of colours makes this interesting. It is not a flat block of colour.


I have decided that through the year I will commit to knitting winter accessories instead of waiting till my ears are freezing and my fingers are numb!

Big Montana Tunic

Hiro brought me some chunky Noro yarn called Circus back from Japan. Mainly black and grey with streaks of cerise and lime green. I loved it but unfortunately he only bought six 100g balls. I rooted through all my patterns and couldn't find anything which didn't require more yarn. When I saw this tunic in Interweave, I thought it was the answer. I started with a rim of cerise around the bottom ribbing and was really happy with the way the yarn handled and the design. It flew off the needles but before I did the armbands I decided to try it on. Disaster!

The lines of bright colour formed chevrons. It was as if I had a huge arrow pointing to my boobs!

If I'm honest I knew in my heart of hearts that this was not the right design for me. Chunky yarn when you're top heavy is never a good idea. However, I loved the fact that it made my flat bum look rounded.

Unravel, a festival of knitting.

I've been reorganising my stash and finally got round to storing my purchases from Unravel, the knitting festival at Farnham Maltings. It was one of the best events I've ever been to, simply because it was a whole yarn experience; starting with yarnbombing in the car park and being greeted by Gotland and Southdown sheep at the entrance.Throughout the building there were sheep farming artifacts, displays of vintage buttons and knitting accessories as well as examples of finished projects.

The foyer pillars had been decorated by local groups with a variety of themes. I loved the humour and fun of the knitted snake and the intricate detail of Laura Rose Kimber's "little Treasures" inspired by children's stories and dolls houses. It made me think of Beatrix Potter.

I didn't sign up for any of the workshops but they were very reasonably priced at £12 to £20. The talks were free so I went to two.




The first was "The History of Fibres and Spinning" by Jan Blight. This lady really should write a book or do a podcast. Entertaining, informative and extremely modest, she is totally engaging. Jan was wearing a beautiful flame coloured jacket that she had spun, dyed, designed and knit. She knits in an instinctive manner allowing the yarn to suggest what it wants to be. Photos really don't do her work justice.

The second talk was meant to be "The Jarmson Sisters of Shetland" by Susan Crawford but the bad weather had prevented her travelling to do research. Instead we heard about vintage knitting patterns and rationing During and after WWII. It certainly explained why 3 and 4 ply patterns were so popular. I was intrigued by a pattern for socks that had no heel and was designed to grow with the wearer.These would be fantastic for my boys as they outgrow socks as fast as I can knit them.I must check to see if she has posted the pattern on her website.



The market place provided many opportunities for stash enhancement but I was very restrained; some merino and some laceweight from Coldharbour Mills and some zauerball that was very reasonably priced from Fibre Factory. I first discovered Textile garden at the Ravelry day in Coventry last year so was pleased to see them again. I bought some lovely ribbon and very cute Russian doll buttons. Many yarns have been added to my wish list.

The New Year got off to a great start with a traditional Japanese breakfast, sake and a trek round a very frosty Hampstead Heath. Then, like Hobbits, we went for second breakfasts at Kenwood House. A lazy afternoon meant I could complete my first project of 2010.The Ruffled Edge Wrap is from an old edition of Vogue, knit completely in garter stitch with lots of short row shaping. I had bought some wool boucle on eBay because the colours looked interesting and it was a bargain. The yarn is beautiful, I love the colours but they just don’t suit me. However, they are perfect for a friend about to have a shoulder operation. The drapey wrap is just her style; the colours will compliment her green eyes and auburn hair beautifully. Hopefully, it will be a great pick me up.

It’s hard to believe that I actually wrote the above at the beginning of Jan and its now February! Unfortunately, my laptop started making grinding crunchy noises and then died. My sons need to be resuscitated if parted from MSM for more than a few minutes so I have to beg to use one of their computers.


The wrap was passed on to its new owner who loved it! I’m pleased as a minor disaster meant it was nearly ruined. Second son, Koji, received a gadget from Santa to create a “Soda Geyser” using Mentos and cola. As there was snow on the ground, the terrible trio decided to set up in the lounge then detonate in the garden. A tube was screwed on to the top of the bottle, the safety pin set in place and the Mentos dropped into the tube. As he picked up the bottle to move into the garden, Koji didn’t realise that his foot was on the string attached to the safety pin. Panicked, he put the bottle in the middle of the room. Eldest son bravely ran out of the room and youngest son froze, wide eyed at the fountain of cola that was now hitting the ceiling. I screamed, leapt across the room and put my thumb over the eruption; forgetting that there were holes in the sides where the safety pin had been, so now there was cola shouting out sideways in two directions. Thank God the instructions recommended sugar free soda; we were drenched, the walls and ceilings dripping and my completed project in need of another hand wash. They should be grateful I have a sense of humour, especial when the physics of the situation was explained to me; how I’d made a terrible mistake trying to stop the flow of cola. Also how I shouldn’t worry, we had another bottle of coke and just enough Mentos to try again outside!

Snow, snow, snow.

Returning to England after nine years of living abroad, I dreaded Winter. We were lucky to enjoy years and years of mild weather but this year we have had snow on and off for months and it actually lay on the ground for a week. You would think that it would be the perfect excuse to sit indoors and knit but it appears to have scrambled my brain. I have been starting projects and loosing interest. Starting projects and changing my mind about the yarn. Starting projects and then wondering what the hell I was thinking. Consequently I've been doing a lot of frogging. I decided to return to a classic; Clappotis