Cowl completed...

Gonna keep this short and sweet, hard to get comfy sat down (tattoo still a little tender but the cream is really greasy so trying to avoid covering everything in it makes for an uncomfortable challenge), let along with a laptop lol Finished my mums gothic lace cowl with the grey and purple left overs from the cabled hat and garter stitch scarf. It still needs buttons but that's it...

Hard to pick up the colour but the top imagine is closer than the bottom one. Hope she likes it :)

Still working on the two at a time socks...and thinking of frogging the vest, it looks way too big, I need to knit between two sizes so may frog and get some advice before casting on again.
Happy Crafting!

Tattoo time...and it's cold out lol

Got my new tattoo on my geek leg :) Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas...rather sore right now and a bit bruised but it's very cool :) It's just under the bend of my right knee so sitting and stairs can be difficult lol and comfy clothing is not warm as it's shorts lol but I'm very pleased with it, and it was a good distraction on my dads birthday :)

I'm often told I apologise too much, so here's a little reminder that you shouldn't apologise for your feelings :)

It's cold out, I'm wrapped up in aran weight hand knits, then you get to me legs and I'm in cut of jeans coz I need to wear shorts so I don't aggravate my healing tattoo lol it was not a shorts kind of day lol

I've done a little knitting but not much, finding a comfy sitting position is far from easy, especially with the cream on as I don't want to leave grease stains on my setee lol but hopefully will get more done soon :)
Hope you all have a happy Friday...
Happy Crafting!

Knitter of the Year!

Look what my mums friend made me lol coz I made her a couple hand knits (spiced cocoa mitts and the owl ways hat). It was very sweet of her.

The two at a time toe up socks are growing but still going slow...I'm over a full colour repeat through the yarn.

Mum's gothic lace cowl is just under half way knit but I don't seem to have knit much the past couple days...tired and achey!
Had another manual driving lesson today and now need to decide whether I want to learn in that or the automatic I tried...tough decision. I can drive a manual but I worry and panic much more than in the automatic.
My son goes back to school tomorrow and I get tattooed so I can't have a lesson for a week or so which gives me thinking time and hopefully resting my leg time to, but I doubt it...
Happy Crafting!

What's the plural for TARDIS..?

Totally awesome in person but hard to capture on camera, my finished (other than blocking and buttons) Tilting TARDIS cowl out of babylonglegs semi-precious aran in I sat by the ocean. I wish I'd cast on an extra 13 stitches to make it a little deeper, maybe I'll make another down the line lol I don't mind having duplicates lol and I'm sure I have a geeky friend who wouldn't mind it if I wanted to give one away lol Anyone know the plural for TARDIS? It came up on instagram...or maybe ravelry and I wasn't sure lol

My TAAT toe up socks are going slowly but the are going (I'm actually just knitting the next blue colour repeat)... using opal (play series) yarn with 2mm needles.

Finished another 8" square for charity, just plain garter stitch.

I'm happy to have finished another project as I've now cast on a gothic lace cowl for my mum out of the felt fusion left overs (from my step dads hat and scarf set). I'm doing grey garter stitch edges with purple body, I'm gonna need 8 purple buttons when it's finished :)

Been rather mad this afternoon as someone let go of their car door in the wind and totally slammed into the side of my mums car, there's a scratch, couple dents and paint been scraped off in places. We were not impressed. The guy denied doing it and refused to give us his name or insurance details...so we took a picture of his car for make, model and registration details and reported the incident to the police to back up her claim to the insurance agency (we now have a police ref number as proof of the report). Unfortunately due to high winds the CCTV camera was not recording properly so we don't have the footage as further evidence (even though we were parked right beneath the camera)...what use is an external security camera that doesn't work properly in high winds when it's been installed at a facility in the north of England..? Useless, it's windy a lot around here!
Sorry for the rant but it's rather frustrating...a major reason I don't want to drive is coz I see a lot of irresponsible drivers and both my dad and best friend died in car accidents that weren't there fault.
Hope you're all having a good weekend.
Happy Crafting!

Update: scarf, spinning and FOs

I love Totoro...so when I saw this adorable picture of him knitting, I had to share the cuteness with the world :)

Good news, I finished my step dads garter stitch scarf :) it grew a few inches length ways after washing but that's ok.

It's a cute set, and very soft, nice and comfortable. Hope he likes it :) Yarn is felt fusion sw merino aran.

I cast on the Tilting TARDIS cowl for myself, and it's lovely. I did make a mistake in the second repeat and I'd forgotten to put a life line in after the first so I was worried I'd have to rip it back to he garter stitch edge...luckily I was calm and careful, I ripped back 6 rows, inserted the needle and tinked back one more row and managed to fix the mistake without loosing all I'd worked on :) I was very proud of myself and have carried on working on it too, now I make sure I put a life line after every pattern repeat though lol no need to tempt the fates again lol I'm up to repeat 5 I think (picture is after the first repeat). Yarn is babylonglegs semi-precious (silk/sw merino) aran in I sat by the ocean.

I made this little yellow cat toy for my niece last year, and she just made this monster with some help from her school knitting group, she's very proud of it and I'm proud of her :)

And this is what happens when my son and niece get together lol he had his milo on (rather bright as you can see lol) and Sophie found her hand knit cardigan off her grandma and put that on top lol he ran round like that for ages, plus a trucker cap for a while lol

I finished my "the bird's dead, Dru socks" and love them :) the yarn is this ain't a scene BFL/nylon sock from countess ablaze, I used 2mm, 2.25mm and 2.5mm hiya hiya circulars.

They fit and everything lol

I span the first half of my BFL/trilobal fibre on my drop spindle. Got about 32 yards of a single ply (about DK) from 49g

It looks nice, I like the colours, but I need to practice pre-drafting more so I can get some thinner yarns lol

I've done a little work on my friends stockinette two at a time toe up socks but not loads.
I made my first vivid square, I'm pretty sure I made a mistake at the end of each needle but was good practice and I will try again. This one is in acrylic and will go to the knit-a-square charity with the baby hats I made last month. It doesn't look quite right so see how the next one goes, when I get to it lol

Been a while since I got on my computer, I seem to be both bored and hectic at the same time lol
Happy Crafting!

Who needs romance when you can have yarn..? lol

Happy Valentines Day!

I had a lovely VKN with FO&Dye last night (and FYI there is another tonight starting at 9pm British time if you fancy a natter). During which I got convinced to try spinning a little more, Ellie said something green, and after a toss up (with a chocolate as I couldn't find a coin lol) this BFL/trilobal blend was chosen, colour is happenstance by fondant fibre.It was nice to have company in the comfort of my own home, with people from different parts of the world :) we chatted about all sorts, not just knitting and spinning :)

She suggested I spin a little every time I put the kettle on, I did this first thing this morning just coz once I started I wanted to do a little more. I got sparkle all over me lol

And on to, who needs a partner on Valentines day..? I've spun a little and knit on my countess ablaze socks, felt fusion scarf and cast on a vivid square, if it turns out the right size (though I could just make it bigger) it will go in with my charity knits to South Africa. 

Hoping to join the VKN for a little while, though not as late as still behind on sleep from my little boy being ill, though he is doing much better, he still isn't fully right.
Happy Crafting!

Update: buni, Declan and fibre club #1

I made a couple of face clothes last month but couldn't show them till my friend got them in the post, here they are. Both made with 100% cotton on 4mm needles, following the buni facecloth pattern by tikki knits.

I also finished the Declan's hat for my step dad out of gorgeous felt fusion sw merino aran.

My apologies for the crappy pictures, hard to pick up the cable details among the variegation on camera, but it looks amazing in person. I knit the brim a little longer as he wanted it to fold up for extra ear warmth.

Literally an hour or so after I finished this hat, my son got really ill, so bad we ended up in hospital for the night. He's home again and the sickness has passed but he's far from better, I'm gonna have to call the doctors again tomorrow and just hoping we don't need to go in for another night. Honestly though, I'm not sure how much more I can take, we're both exhausted and irritable, it's a mess and trust me when I say it's an appetite killer cleaning it all up but it's the lack of sleep that is making it all feel so much worse.
On a plus side, I had a happy mail day...my first fondant fibre sw club shipment arrived today, and it is gorgeous...I just need to pick up spinning again with how much fibre I have lol

I've also tried doing bits of knitting but while my son is ill I'm not getting much done, he either wants me, or I'm cleaning or sleeping so not much to show. I did however, finish sock one of my selfish socks, how neat is that kitchener stitch (grafting)..? I'm a little impressed with it. Not cast on sock two yet as I'm not mentally capable of keeping up with the cables on the cuff or the lace if I get to the leg...shame as I really like them too. Doubt I'm gonna get to take part in the sparkle along in the sparklepunk-creations group either. I will however still knit the socks eventually.

As I needed something fairly simple to do I cast on a knit vest for a friend, it's got shaping for the waist in a few inches but got plain stocking stitch till then. I'm a little worried it's not going to fit as her body covers two different sizes but I'll do the best I can and if she hates it she can hide it away and laugh lol wish me luck...
I'm off now as tired but I just wanted to post an update and let you know that my sons health is the reason I've been a little lax in posting, it feels like ages since my last post though it's only about a week.
Wishing you all health and happiness...and sleep! lol
Happy Crafting!

Yummy Goodness!

My big bad yarn order arrived today...it's not as big as it could have been, The Yarn Tree has a whole load of awesome geeky colourways :) Etsy is down right now so I can't link, but they are seriously stunning colours, she's a UK dyer and sends her yarns by currier rather than royal mail.
Vincent and the Doctor sparkle
sw merino/nylon/stellina 400m/100g

Miami sparkle
sw merino/nylon/stellina 400m/100g

Wowzer
75% sw merino and 25% nylon 400m/100g

So I need to get knitting so I can enjoy these yarns soon. I've kinda decided my yarn diet is more a restriction than a full on cold sheep diet. So long as I keep knitting from stash and don't buy more skeins than I'm knitting I'm ok if I see something truly lovely to buy it, but only if I'm sensible and rein myself in a little from total crazy spending sprees...For example I really want to join the countess ablaze sock club, but am wondering if I can knit enough to make it allowed during my semi yarn diet...
I did my first work out for a long time yesterday, a kind of yoga/pilates cross...so I'm a little stiff and sore today, but it felt good to do it and hope my friend decides it could become a kind of semi regular thing...we'll see if he's free or not.
I've had my first automatic driving lesson today, it was so much easier than manual and I seemed to panic less. The instructor has advised I have one more manual lesson before I decide for definite which I want to learn and pass in.
Happy Crafting!

Yarny goodness!

The giant yellow hat has officially been given to charity to keep a homeless persons head warm through the rest of the winter.
The dyed to order yarn from felt fusion arrived :) it's quite variegated, but the colours are gorgeous and the yarn is so soft...

I wound up a skein of my countess ablaze (this ain't a scene) BFL/nylon sock...the cake was more than a little messy but it's knitable lol

Cast on myself a pair of "the bird's dead, Dru socks" and the yarn is looking gorgeous, I'm just working on the gusset decreases now and I am in love, hope they fit well. 

There's a sparklepunk KAL going on this month for the "raison d'etre" socks...I'm hoping to cast them on after my current socks.
I've also cast on some vanilla two at a time toe up socks for my friend, these will probably be a long term project for easy knitting between projects or for at craft groups...stocking stitch doesn't keep me wanting to knit like the current socks I'm knitting...I keep wanting to reach the next repeat etc.
I need to cast on my step dads hat then his scarf when the hat is finished. I'd like to join in the sparklealongfeb KAL if I can get at least past the leg pattern on the second sock in time...wish me luck...
Time to get on BBC iplayer for The Great British Sewing Bee, seeing how my ariel is still broken I couldn't watch it last night.Also, it might calm me down before my first automatic driving lesson, rather nervous!
Happy Crafting!

Ooops!

I totally broke my yarn diet...blame my friend Kaisse and a coupon code...and gorgeous yarn!

You'll see the goodies when the arrive, totally amazing colours :)

After some brooches too for wearing with shawl, p+p reasonable from America, but I'd get burned by VAT coming into England as I want a set and a single. Gorgeous too! Shame!

Knotwork Penannular Brooch

Pair of Small Stainless Penannular Brooches

Also I've seen these cool dye your own yarn kit which I'd quite like :)

Too many pretties out there in the world!

Happy Crafting! 

knitting fail

Mum likes her socks and they fit well :)

I had a knitting fail lol I cast on the Declan's hat (free pattern on rav) in size medium with aran weight yarn and 4mm needles...just a couple rounds in I could see it was far too big. So I ripped back and cast on the small size, it looked big but much better, when I got about 5 inches in I realised it was still too big lol I either need to go down a needle size (or two) or knit the smallest size on 4mm needles and just knit the ribbing length for medium size. Ahh well, it'll go to charity and keep a homeless person, or someone in need warm...at least it was an acrylic yarn and not the dyed to order stuff that should be here this week for my step dad lol This is the hat pattern he wants in the felt fusion yarn he ordered.

I'm new to the geeky girls knit podcast but have managed to come in at a good time, got lots of entries into their winter KAL, wish me luck...
And now my joints hurt so may need a bit of a knitting break...not a good time as my TV ariel has come down (rather annoying) and waiting for it to be fixed (hopefully this week).
Happy Crafting!

The Bird's Dead, Dru...feeling proud!

I did it...I finished a pair of socks in just over two weeks...that's way shorter than my previous sock knits which were more like 2 months lol
This is sock two, the lace has no mistakes, the heel is ok (but I still struggle picking stitches up) and the kitchener stitch (grafted) toe is neater.

For some reason even though they started at the same point in the yarn pattern repeat, they don't finish at the exact same point in the yarn repeat...Even  though I knit both socks exactly the same, I even double checked row counts physically and with a row counter. Not sure what happened there, my gauge must have changed when my wrist was sore and then healing. Regardless of them not matching perfectly, I love them, and hope my mum does too...hope she doesn't mind the not perfect line up of colours, but only a couple rows out at the toes.

Pattern is "The bird's dead, Dru socks" by sparklepunk-creations on ravelry. I used opal sock yarn in the love story collection (colour is: on cloud 7). I used three needle sizes; 2mm, 2.25mm and 2.5mm for different parts of the sock. Notes can be found on my ravelry projects page, but they are very specific to fit my mum's foot (and mine), we like wide toes rather than tapered toes.

I have a lot more knitting planned I just need to cast things on...gonna try one at a time but see how that goes lol
Happy Crafting!