Yipee

I am so hyper it's unbelievable. I am sitting at my desk, starting my last day at work before my holidays! whee! I don't think there's going to be a wink of sleep had tonight...
I have my knit picks basket filled and ready to checkout today when I get home to make sure it arrives when I'm there. I am a bit stuck on other yarns to get this year though. Without a specific project in mind, it's a bit hard to know quantities either, so I may have to wing it a bit when I hit the lys(s).

I've no pics today, but project progress:

Garter Rib Sock - one down one to go. I finished the first one last night
Crochet Tea Cosy - my class practice piece is done. The instructor is going to wad and line it for me.
I have cast on for the Hourglass Socks for the plane. Just a round or two done, enough to get past the fiddly first stage when needles are likely to fall off and roll under the seat in front and my nice and skinny daughter has to go scrambling to retrieve them.
I have begun a crochet scarf for the class now. I've no idea how it's going to turn out, I'm just going to try lots of different stitches out.

On a side note, the things we women do for vanity (and laziness in this case). I got my legs waxed last night so that I wouldn't have to shave on holidays. OWIE. I've had them done before and no biggie, but this time it was really sore. I have hairy toes. So, I'm sure do a few others (humour me that I'm not bigfoot). Getting them waxed is SORE. 'nuff said. Last night in bed they were still throbbing like a Looney Tunes cartoon hand after it gets hit with a hammer. But, I'll have shiny legs on holidays! yep. It's worth it.

I doubt I'll get any blogging in over there, but you never know. If not, sayonara!

Cheshire Cat

I feel like the cat that's opened the cream fridge, found the large tub of cream and swallowed it all down in one gulp!

I hit the Wollmeise shop this morning and got these:


Pfefferminz Prinz medium

Red Hot Chili Medium

I had been lurking (stalking) arount the Wollmeise site knowing an update was on the way today.
I am such an advertising sucker. I never thought I was, but I have been totally sucked into the hype surrounding this dyer. I was actually squeeing (if that's a valid word) when I clicked the checkout button ordering these. I am thinking another try at the Pomatomus socks for the peppermint one and I'm unsure about the Chili one.
I also swore I wasn't buying anything before the holidays, but I figure I better get them while I can!

Not much other knitting news really, I had to totally rip back the Garter Rib sock for Dad, as the rib wasn't lined up properly on the instep. It looked really weird. So, I'm back at the point where I ripped originally, about halfway down the first foot. Slow but steady my friends, always wins the race eventually.

I doubt I'll get much more done before I go as I've a wedding to go to tomorrow, my parents to bring to the train station on Sunday (as well as dealing with a hangover no doubt), a house to clean before we go and packing to be done too! I've also got to wind the yarn for my plane socks and cast on the first few rows to get me started.

It's amazing how knowing you're going away makes getting up in the morning easier. This morning I bounced (not literally of course!) out of the bed with a happy grin saying this is the last Friday I have to get up!!

Happy weekend everyone!

Cinders goes to the ball blind drunk

Oh my it has been a while hasn't it? Things have just been mental chez moi recently.
For some reason I haven't gotten much knitting done, I am beginning to fear that my mojo may also be going on vacation and I'm desperately trying to keep it here with me!
I think that this may be to blame for mojo's walkout:

Zombie no face upsy daisy Cinders:
This is posh Cinders blindly making her way to the ball

This is scrubber Cinders blindly trying to find the mop and bucket.

This is schizo Cinders blindly trying to decide who she is today.

Pattern: Cinderella Topsy-Turvy Doll (Ravlink) by Jean Greenhowe
Yarn: Scraps of DK acrylic
Needles: 3.25mm
As I'm sure you have noticed, Cinders has no poor or posh face. That would be because her creator can't sew for crap. I have tried several times to make a face and it was scarily trash can whore looking (not at all suitable for a 7 year old) so I ripped her face off and tried again. I think I enjoyed that part more than Cinders did. After much swearing I decided to put her face in timeout until I can come up with a more suitable method for facial reconstruction surgery. Any plastic surgeons out there can help?

Who told me that knitting toys was fun? Tara, you were right, I don't know what came over me. I promise never to err again.

In other news, my crochet progresses. Apparently I'm making a tea cozy as my first class project. My instructor says that by the time I've finished it I'll know every crochet stitch. Goody. This is the first side finished. it's all trebles. Apparently I'll be introducing another colour on the second side tonight. The excitement! I'm not really feeling the love for it I must say and I wonder if it's another reason that mojo is trying to sneak out the back door - feeling jealous maybe?

I need to buy mojo a present I think. Presents always make everything better. If only mojo would hang on for 16 more days, then mojo could have their pick of pressies from a Florida LYS!

I need a cake recipe for Mam's birthday cake this Saturday. I was thinking of maybe a nice buttercream sponge cake with jam in the middle or maybe a nice cream flan with strawberries on top? mmmm cake

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!