Thanks guys

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the lovely comments about the situation with my Mam. It really made me feel better to know I'm not alone!

No photos today, I'm in work, but I started my crochet class last night and have done two rows of trebles! I can't believe it! I'm not saying they're great or anything, but hey it's more than I knew how to do yesterday. I'll post pics soon.

Tara nominated me for this!

I'm flabbergasted to be honest (and insanely happy too) that anyone would think my knitty ramblings worthy of an award, so thank you!


The rules are:


1- Post the award on your blog.
2- Add a link to the person who gave you the award.
3- Nominate at least 4 other bloggers and add their links:



My nominations are:


Del, Dmaxi, Worsted-Knitt and Aileen

I also started a new project for fun, The Cinderella Topsy Turvy Doll by Jean Greenhowe. Ravlink, JeanLink. I'm making this for my daughter and so far have the two heads done, stuffed and seamed. My daughter thinks it's hilarious that cinderella will have no "pants". She keeps looking at it and saying but Mom her head is her pants! hee hee



I hit the new This Is Knit on Monday. It opened at 10 and I was there by 12.40. No, I do not have a problem.. cough. I got my hands on some yummy brown Sheep nature Spun Fingering in a yummy blue:



I'm going to use this for my Hourglass Socks for my plane knitting.
Apologies for the pic quality, it was taken with my mobile phone at my desk when I got back. Oh, and the upside down guy on my mouse mat? Yep, it's Sig from the Deadliest Catch. grrrr he's hot in a really wierd manly rugged kind of way, even if he would smell of fish. I have the mousemat and mug I bought for the laugh. I get an awful teasing about him.

I also scored some yummy Harmony dpns for the plane and a bottle of Soak Aqua. I've never used this before, so I'm dying to try it out after what I've heard about it.


Happy Wednesday!

Mission Mitten completed

Woo hoo! I've completed my Druid Mittens, and they are gorgeous if I say so myself. I'm actually surprised with how long they took, according to Ravelry I cast on Aug 23 and I cast off last night, Sep 21. It didn't feel that long. Still, I wasn't working on them the whole time. Plus, I have over half of the skein of Lisa Souza Sock! Merino left that I used for them. Perhaps another pair of socks for my daughter are on the horizon. I don't think I'd manage to downsize these mitts for her.

Pattern: Autumn/Druid Mittens from VK Fall 08
Yarn: Lisa Souza Sock! Merino
Needles: 2.75mm dpns

Sorry for the hands against the door pic, it was dark when I finished them and the white background was all I had to make them stand out!
These dpns broke on me halfway through mitt no 2. I was very disappointed with them. Still, my lys is becoming even more local today, with it's second shop opening up in the city centre, about 5 mins walk from my work! yipee, I'll be heading down there today at lunchtime to try and off load some of their stock for them and to replace my 2.75 dpns and get a set of 2.5 bamboo for the plane knitting.

Progress on my Dad's sock:

Not much I know, but I seem to have achieved very little this week. Hubby has been unwell and my Mam is very bad again, so I haven't really had much time.

I've also been feeling very down over the last few days. I sometimes get like this (don't we all), but my Mam has me very worried. She's just slowly sliding down the slope into total dementia and I feel so helpless.
She no longer knows what day of the week it is, whether she has eaten or taken her medication or not. The strain is really showing on my Dad too. I begged them to let me get a home help for them just to give a hand cleaning the house and to give Dad a break to go for the paper or a walk, but Dad said no. I totally get that he doesn't want to admit he can't cope and that he doesn't want a "stranger" in the house, but the house is getting really dirty and he looks exhausted with it all. I do what I can when I go round, but even Mam won't let me clean the bathroom or change their bed for them.
*sigh* it's all getting to be a bit much for me now to be honest. I'm almost dreading going away and leaving them on their own, as they have no-one else to call in on them and keep them company or do any jobs they need.
Still, my Mam is 80 on Oct 10th so I'm going to have a nice dinner in my house and invite Mams sister and Dads sister over too.

Sorry for the rant! I just needed to get that off my chest.

In spooky news, I know it's early for scary stories (Halloween and all athat) but I had the weirdest dream last night that I just have to share:
I'm adopted and sometimes thoughts of my biological father come into my head. Well last night was a doozy... I dreamt I was in the supermarket looking at vegetables when Sir Cliff Richard came up to me and said "Hi Sinéad, I'm your father!" !!!! Needless to say I woke up pretty quickly!

Avast ye scurvy bloggers it be Talk Like a Pirate Day

Today be talk like a Pirate day, arr so I be puttin out a short post in honor of it.
If ye want to find out what your pirate name is, this be the site to visit.
Here be my pirate details:

My pirate name is:

Bloody Anne Cash

Every pirate lives for something different. For some, it's the open sea. For others (the masochists), it's the food. For you, it's definitely the fighting. You're musical, and you've got a certain style if not flair. You'll do just fine. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

And to show that it's not just here I be piratin,

Here be an email conversation between me and Mr. Pirate earlier:

Mr Pirate: Arrrrrrrr

Me reply: Avast ya scurvy dog, I be wantin me rum

Mr Pirate reply: Be thee quiet wench, some o'me bestest maties be scurvey dogs......aye t'be sure. Any more o' yer lip and I be maroonin ye on the pirates coast o' florida (near fort laurdadale and just up from Miami) wit not but a large bottle o'vodka and coke for t'keep ye company.....
Oh wait.....
'uggerit.
Me (aarr)

I'll leave you with this picture of my own wee scurvy bilge rat taken in Florida after a round of Pirate's Cove Adventure Golf. As you can see, she took to the life of a pirate very well!

hee hee have a fun weekend!, and if you're in Florida, try and visit St. Aaaaargustine... *groan*

Photo Update

I'm a little bit delicate this morning let me tell you. Not too bad, but a little bit rough around the edges. Had a great night last night, but was ultra sensible and got the bus before the last one home! I don't think my husband quite knew what was going on, I normally stumble in the door sometime after 2am from a taxi, so I think he was secretly a bit pleased I was home so early. (He made me toast. A dead giveaway.)
Hence I'm up at 8am, putting up my progress pictures from yesterdays post! It's a nice sunny morning (uber surprise). My living room is like a little patch of heaven early in the morning when the sun shines. It bathes the room with light and I love it.

My Pi tablecloth:

At the 288 stitch stage, so it's become a blob on the circs and will remain so until finshed and blocked. But, I think it's coming along great!

My daughters crosshatch socks

She's delighted with these, especially because they are the same yarn as my Embossed Leaves. She thinks it'll be "really cool" for us to wear them at the same time. Em no.

This is how much Smooshy was left over:

I wasn't kidding when I said it was down to the wire!

This is my second Druid mitten. Nothing exciting here, just on the cuff.

And this is the beginnings of my Dad's Christmas present socks. I found the name of the pattern:
Garter Rib Socks from Sensational Knitted Socks (Rav link). Nice and boring mens pattern that won't require any independent thought.


Thanks for the pattern and yarn suggestions so far, keep 'em coming!

Love or lust?

Have you seen the new Knitty?
Oh the socks... I am in love and lust with them.
Check these out:
Interlocking Leaves
Hourglass
Baroque

I have found my airplane knitting I think. Now all I need to do is pick a yarn for them.
If you feel inclined to help me decide which pattern and yarn, please post a comment to let me know which one you think I should knit. Here's a link to my stash on Ravelry for the yarn: linky. Bear in mind that I will be using bamboo needles (customs and all that) so nothing too sticky on the bamboo.
These are to get me over and back on a flight from Dublin - Newark - Orlando so a good few hours knitting involved!

This will be fun, having others pick for me!

In other news, I have finished the crosshatch socks for my daughter. Pics will follow as I am in work. I didn't think I was going to have enough yarn, but I finished them with a teeny bit left. Talk about getting value for money out of a skein!

I have started the second Druid Mitten, only on the cuff so far.

I am plodding along on the Pi tablecloth, up to 288 stitches now. Not a work of art, but it's growing on me and I think for a first lace project it's fine.

I've begun my Christmas knitting! How depressing when you think about it. I have cast on for a pair of socks for my Dad from Sensational Knitted Socks. The pattern name escapes me now, I'll post it next time with the pics.

I'm off out after work tonight to meet a friend and her husband that I haven't seen in ages for a few drinks. Can't wait to catch up on all the gossip!
Have a good weekend!

Friday night freedom!

I can't believe I haven't posted since last Sunday - my goodness time flies when your boss is back from holidays! ;) Busiest week in ages, trying to get loads done (so I could look like I did loads of work instead of spending the day streaming the olympics on the work pc while the boss was away)

But, I do have some progress for you all:

My first mitten!


Isn't it just scrumilicious? I know it's not perfect, there are some errors, but I love it. For a first mitten ever I think it kinda rocks. I can't wait to finish the second one. I reckon these would be pretty cool for the cold car in the mornings driving into work.

My daughters Crosshatch sock is coming along nicely too:

I finally got the stitch count right on 48 stitches and it fits her fine. I had to do the heel twice though, that's what I get for chatting too much at my SnB, the heel was at least twice what it should have been, enormous!

So, I signed up for the crochet class at the local school. Starts Sept 23rd until Dec 7th I think. I'll only miss one week when I'm in Florida (6 weeks 6 days to go woohoo!) so that's ok. I'm really looking forward to it too, it'll be great to learn a new craft and some new ways of finishing knitted garments.

Although, I felt so bad when I broke the news to the SnB ladies. Two of them told me they'd teach me themselves, but I want to go to a classroom atmosphere to get the full benefit, plus I don't want to spoil their night, teaching me who takes several goes to get the hang of it! But it was lovely of them. They said they'll miss me, even if it is only for 10 weeks, and I have to say I will too. I love my Tuesday nights and wouldn't swap them for anything. God knows what I did before knitting, it's opened up so many new things to me, new friends I never would have normally met and of course new international friends through this humble little blog and the mighty Ravelry. Knitting and crafting rocks!

Now I must get cracking on my Christmas list. No more procrastinating for me, decisions need to be made - just a little bit later maybe...

Right so, well it's Friday night and I'm off to have a few drinkies and play some Sims 2. Sayonara!