Happy New Year!!!!

Oh dear! It's been a long time again! But I haven't been idle. I finally managed to knit these socks, with the Tofutsies yarn I was so kindly given ages ago. It knitted up really nicely, lovely and soft, in this pattern, Tidal Wave, from South West Trading. The next picture is more of a close up of the pattern, but not particularly clear.

Thanks again Shannon in New Mexico for this lovely yarn.



















I haven't been idle again though. But I have been remiss in giving the things away before I took photographs to put here. I knitted another baby cardigan, similar to the one I did last year, but in different colours. I have another one to do for another baby, but haven't yet decided what to do.
I've done some things for a friend whose daughter is going to be a maid in the local Gala court in June. I knitted a cashmere shawl in the Faceted Gems pattern I did a while ago, and said never again, and not for anybody else. But it was easier this time, having done it before. It turned out well, but I didn't take pictures! I've also made the dress. It's a lacy top with with plain white satin skirt. It's got a cross over ribbon detail on the back. Depending on how it looks, I might knit the shawl again. I'm not sure it's long enough. So maybe I'll remember the photos.



































The parents of the kids involved in the Gala Day are expected to raise funds for it. So I offered to knit kids socks with my leftover bits. This is the first one, but I can't do my usual and have exactly matching socks, as there isn't enough yarn. I hope it doesn't put people off buying them!

Pressies!

Well I did it! I persuaded Fee to wear the jacket of doom! But you can see how happy she was about it. Even down to the sad face drawn on the box.
Anyway, we took it to her Gran today. She seemed happy enough with it, so I hope it does the job for her.














This is the embroidery I did for my mother-in-law for Christmas, before framing.












And again after a family effort. Fee went and bought the frame, and Allister did the framing. I hope his Mum likes it!

We have the technology!

Finally we got a network! Note the use of the royal we. I was sent for the cable, and I got a network and internet access as if by magic!

I've been doing other things in the (long!) time since I last blogged. Fee and I took her Gran to the Hobbycrafts and Crafts for Scotland exhibition at the SECC in Glasgow in October. Oh what a bad idea! We went round the show saying I like that, I'll have that and came out with much heavier bags and lighter purses.
One of the stands was Spellbound beads, where I bought a few kits! I didn't do too well with the frosted fir tree, but maybe it only needs a bit of a tweak.




I did like the ariel tassel, and it turned out well I thought, so I did another one.












This one, I used the instructions as above, but bought other beads. This was on another expensive day out with Fee, when we braved the first day of a new shop at Glasgow Fort Shopping Park. Hobbycrafts have all kinds of everything! I thought I'd try a different colour, but ended up with a different size as well. This one is a bit bigger.













I also bought a snowflake kit, which worked out quite well too.

















I bought things to do patchwork, which are still in the bag waiting for some time to do them.

I bought an embroidery kit to do for my mother-in-law for Christmas. It's finished, but not yet framed. It will appear here when it's framed.

I also bought yarn to do a cardigan for my mother-in-law's birthday. Poor soul has her birthday on Christmas Eve. Fee does not like it, with a vengeance, but if feel really nasty I'll get her to model it for me to take a photo.

At last!

I've thrown Fee off the computer again to do this. I really must get some sort of networking system here. It's like a guerilla raid trying to get online! Reconnaissance - is she there? Is she nearby? Have I got time to rush in, blog etc and get back out before I'm assaulted from behind? Anyway, here I am.

I haven't been idle since last time. I've done 3 pairs of socks. One of them, for my mother in law, I handed over before I remembered to take photos. But she seemed to like them so I hope they are ok.

The next ones were a bit more of an undertaking. Long socks for big feet! Based on an idea Fee saw online - Monster socks- I gave it a go. It's short sections of the different sock yarns we had between us. If you look carefully you'll see socks that have already appeared here. Here they are modelled at Culloden battlefield the morning after I finished them.































These are done in Opal elements. Soon have no room in my sock drawer!

Long time again!

Forgot to put this in last time. Sock yarn (surprise surprise!) thatI boughtin Switzerland. And surprisingly, it's purple! It's in a long queue to be used though.










And this is the finished versionof the lace. Much shorter than the pattern, but I wanted a scarf, not a wrap. And I have lots of yarn left to make something else.










I haven't been idle though. Fee's socks are progressing nicely. One is finished, theother is more than a third up the leg. So far I haven't used the same yarn twice, and I suspect that I'll have unused ones at the end.Does this mean I'll have to knit another pair?

And for a bit of excitement. I was coming home from a conference (international, in Glasgow, British Blood Transfusion Society) yesterday. I was waiting to turn out of the road from the station when 2 fire engines went past. They had boards on the side that said they were from Easterhouse (Glasgow) and one was a heavy rescue unit. This of course made me think something was up, as Easterhouse is 20 odd miles away. They were heading in the general direction of home, so I was somewhat concerned. As I drove up the road to my house, I could see a helicopter hovering reasonably nearby. So of course when we could (having visitors) Fee checked the news and Internet, and found that a helicopter had crashed in woods near Lanark. Then it was in Jerviswood. Which is 2 or 3 miles from us as the crow flies, so the helicopter I saw was hovering over the crash site. I was going to the annual dinner of the BBTS last night, so I got updates from Fee on the situation. Apparently the crash was at 4.10, and I saw the fire engines at 4.35, so they must have been really moving along the M8 and A73!

Oh dear , it's been such a long time!

And in that time I haven't been idle!

We went to Switzerland on holiday, Fee blogged that. It was a good week!

Since my last post, the lace has undergone a reincarnation. I had another disaster with it, and ripped it all out. I started again, with a few sections less and on normal needles. It was rather long when I took it off the other needle, and since I wanted a scarf rather than a wrap, I cut it back a bit. It is now finished, but not yet blocked. Something to look forward to!

You can see different stitch markers this time too. Rather than use all of Fee's markers, I got some from knittiotherapy, also known as Sue. You maybe can't see them properly, but these are beautiful butterflies in different colours on golden wires and purple beads on silver wires. Some of them now in use in the socks below!
These socks were done to "test drive" a pattern from Sue. They turned out really well, very pretty socks and fairly easy to do, as long as you can count.
Different pictures because of the comments about them being small. They fit my feet!

I also knitted a pair of socks for a friend at work, but I forgot to take photos before I gave them to her. Opal yarn again, in orange, black and white.

































And talking of foot size. I upset Fee by saying that this looked like a clown foot. It was nasty on 2 counts, because she has no control over the size of her feet; and because she hates clowns!

Anyway, this is going to be a knee sock, using the leftover yarn from all the socks I have knitted, along with some from the balls I haven't started yetand some that Yorkie brought when she came to stay for a weekend.

Decisions, decisions

Made the decision though, and went for the silk laceweight. This is it after a few rows, full of stitch markers and section markers.










It's Faceted Gems and is progressing nicely. At least it was until this morning when Fee's Boyes needle separated! I thought the left hand bit had got a bit light, looked down and the point had come off, letting the end of the row slide off the rest of the needle. Fortunately it was only the last 16 or so stitches and I think I've rescued it. Was not happy at that moment!!!
This is a few rows and many hours on from the first picture.






Another pressie from one of Fee's friends, Sobe. Thanks Sobe. I haven't decided yet which sock pattern to use, but it will be interesting to see how they turn out.