Gorgeous Joe!

My dear friends Angie and Robin sent me this lovely picture of their baby son Joe, who was born just over six weeks go. Isn't he just gorgeous? And he's modeling the teal Debbie Bliss baby jumper that I made for him too...

Work in Progress

It's been a while since I last posted an entry, but I've not stopped knitting. I've been working my way through the list and have knitted a cell sock for my sister's birthday. Piney's mittens and even a co-ordinated hat from Knitty's Calorimetry pattern, although I have still got to block, press and finish them off. I'm also precisely half way through one pair pf pink socks for my sister. I have so many things that I want to do, but never seem to have the time to finish things off...

I'm also nearly finished with Jenny's baby jumper, I would have finished it ages ago, but I managed to either run out of wool (or not buy enough in the first place)! More wool has fortunately arrived thanks to the wonders of internet shopping. I've got some lovely yarn for Nic and Andrew's baby, and I'll need to buy even more as I've had the wonderful news that Claire and her boy Nigel are also expecting. I'm not buying the wool just yet as their mid-December scan will determine (and I quote Claire here) "the sex of the piglet"!

Promises, promises!

I had a lovely day out yesterday in Bath with my dear friend Piney, including a luxurious treat of a two hour session at the new Thermae Bath Spa followed by one of the nicest fried veggie breakfasts I've ever had. On the train journey Back to Salibsury, while trying on my newly finished mittens, she reminded me that I had in fact promised her a pair of her own (well over a year ago!). We stopped off at the local yarn store on the walk home and she picked out some blue aran so that I can make a pair for her in time for a Christmas present.

This does however bring to mind that I may have overstretched myself in the number of promises I've made to various people:

Socks for Amanda

Scarf for Andy

Baby Sweater for Jenny and Neil

Mittens for Piney

Another Baby Sweater for Nic and Andrew

Black Beanie (complete with Skull and Crossbones) for Rich

I think I'd better get off this journal and get knitting! (Perhaps I will start with Piney's Mittens!)

Commission!

How very exciting! I have received my first commission and have been asked by my pod-buddy Andy to create him a scarf. I showed him a few patterns and he's decided on Henry a lovely sideways-knit herringbone scarf that is published in the latest edition of Knitty. He's ordered the yarn and in exchange for the finished article he's going to commission a piece of jewellery from Juliet his housemate, who also works at Walker. I do so love a bit of bartering!

Two Pairs of Socks

Libby's socks that she started during my sock lesson are certainly coming on a pace. I received this photo in a text and I'm delighted that she's making the pair for little old me. I shall certainly wear them with pride! Mine are getting on a little bit slower, but I'm just about to start turning the heel, so watch this space...

Finished Mittens

The lovely Mr Christie and I took a trip to Stourhead for a late picnic lunch this afternoon and I took the opportunity to wear both my Tammy mittens and the matching beret out for the first time. The patterns for both came from Rowan Yarns Classic Weekend Book Eight (ISBN 1904485472), which David bought for me as a very thoughtful Christmas present, and are really easily knit up in a beautiful RY Cashsoft Aran on 4 and 4.5 mm needles. Pink and green are my favourite colours so it's lovely to be able to make something that's easy, fun and practical too!

There was a lovely exhibition on at First View Gallery by Fiona Gordon-Abbey that had a large canvas that David and I especially liked, depicting a woodland scene with Kandinsky-like flowers in the foreground. Visiting Stourhead is always a reat treat, like visiting an old friend, and today it was as wonderful as ever. In a couple of weeks as Autumn really sets in the trees will be glorious. We saw a Japanese maple, right next to the Gothic Cottage that was already turning a beautiful, vibrant shade of red.

Mitten Weather

After a wonderful week off in the Cornish sunshine, I am finding my early morning starts a bit of a cruel cold wake-up so have decided that it's time to finish off the stripey hat and mittens that I started in the spring.

One of the good things about hardly ever wanting to actually finish a project, is that I tend to have a number of things that really only need blocking and sewing up. Watch this space for a photo of the finished articles. (Hopefully this will be very soon as my hands were freezing on my bicycle yesterday morning!)

New Blog, New Project

I've just got back from an afternoon with Libby in the Cathedral Close of Salisbury, learning how to magic cast on and make toe-up socks using the Widdershins pattern.

The magic cast on is something akin to rocket science, and caused some pretty colourful language, while I dropped and picked up any number of stitches. Luckily the lovely Liblet is an extremely patient teacher, and had bought everything with her for a very helpful lesson. Sitting on her fabulous purple quilt with 'string and pointy sticks' and in beautiful surroundings I tried very hard to be a patient student.

It started to get a bit cold so we moved into a nearby cafe and with a cup of tea and a lot of help my sock soon progressed to looking a little bit more toe-like. (Although there is a very small hole on one side which I shall have to stitch!) She assures me that once I've finished the increase rows it will get much less spider-like and become a bit more fun...