TODAY IS TUESDAY, GRANNY DAY!

The best thing about Tuesday is that I get to spend the day with my grand daughter Jessica. We usually try to do something special with our time together. Sometimes we go for a swim but we couldn't do that today because my knee is playing me up and has been quite painful for the last few days. I do wonder if it's linked with my sciatica. 

So we had a play day at home, building houses and castles out of Duplo and watching Dumbo and the Snowman and the Snowdog on TV.  Then we headed to the kitchen to bake some cakes, chocolate of course for Jessica to take home to share with her Mummy, Daddy and Charlotte. 

I have a new knitting project on the go, which is not going too well. I chose to knit some slippers from the new Drops range, where there are some really lovely new patterns. I have knitted a few things from Drops now and love everything I've made but my problem is that at first I always forget to switch my brain over to Drops mode and can't make head nor tail of the pattern. I love the yarn, it's great to work with and even bought myself a new snazzy circular needle but to date this is as far as I've got, (twice!!).

Yes, I got this far yesterday and decided to start again so this is the stage I'm at, project now languishing in my knitting bag. 

Hopefully by the next time I post I will have won the battle of the pattern and will be able to show you some progress. As for me knee, painkillers and BioFreeze is the way forward I think.

SOMETHING TO KEEP YOU OCCUPIED WHEN YOU'RE SNOWED IN!

Or in my case, something to keep you occupied while it's freezing outside but there's not a snowflake in sight!

All day yesterday as the country experienced heavy snow and treacherous conditions, in this little part of Essex there wasn't a flurry of the white stuff until just a little light dusting arrived very late in the evening. As we headed of to bed I was expecting to wake up this morning to see everything snow white but alas no and what we did have last night disappeared very sharpish. 

The weather all day has been very dull and chilly, so there was no better way to spend it, catching up  with some tv on the sofa and really settling in to some knitting.

I have finished the cowl for Kate, a Bernat pattern using King Cole Galaxy chunky on size 6.5 mm needles and a hat that is of a very similar design also from Bernat.

We're going out to dinner with her this evening, so I can give them to her then. They will keep her warm next week when she's out on playground duty. I hope she likes them.

If she doesn't I certainly do! I couldn't resist trying them on for size. A perfect fit!

Now tomorrow snow is forecast for this area so I have more plans for knitting the day away.

AND ANOTHER COUPLE OF HATS I MADE EARLIER!

I'm going hat crazy!

Following the hat that I made and mentioned in my last post, I've made another one from the same pattern and these two. All made from yarn from my stash, hence why they're all looking similar colours to my sky scarf. I can't help it, I just over purchased!!

These two have already been worn by Charlotte and Jessica to keep their heads warm while we experience the winter weather.

I was in the throws of casting on ready to make another when the call came through from my daughter, could I knit her a cowl? Absolutely, I found a pattern on Ravelry from Bernat and popped out straightaway to get some yarn.

It's looking really nice and hopefully over the weekend I'll post a photo!

Then I think it'll be back to hats!!!

FIRST KNIT OF 2013 - A HAT!

I was in need of a kick start into 2013, what could I knit with yarn from my stash?

I just so happened to be reading a blog that I follow, Cloudberry and loved the hats she had knitted.

I've used some yarn left over from my sky scarf challenge and knitted this over a couple of days, if I had read the pattern properly before I'd started I would have finished it much sooner. I was so keen to start, I had grabbed a pair of needles, cast on and completed the rib before I had re-read the pattern and it was then that I realised it should actually be knitted on a circular needle. Mmmmm!

Now did I have the correct size circular needle wallowing in amongst the huge collection of needles I possess? - no!

Did I have double pointed needles, the right size? - no!

Therefore knitting was halted until the next day when I could get to my local shop and once there upon rifling through their display of circular needles found, surprise, surprise, that they'd sold out of the one I needed. 

However in the end with the help of the shop owner we did find some double pointed needles, perfectish!!

So yesterday, with a husband home suffering the lurgy and me suffering with partial lurgy we spent the afternoon ensconced in front of the tv watching a film we'd recorded over Christmas.  

I got to finish the hat and even started another. 

CASTING OFF FROM SKY SCARF 2012 AND STEPPING ONBOARD 2013!

No doubt you've all heard of storm chasers!

Well, today we were out for our first walk of 2013 and I was chasing clouds!

Not a single one could be found.

How brilliant is that!

The start of the new year also means an end to my sky scarf.  I cast off the stitches and sewed in straggly ends when we got back from our walk. 

Back at the end of March 2012 we enjoyed some Spring sunshine In Villefranche sur Mer, in the South of France!

 In September 2012 we were back in France yet again, this time the sun caught our eye in Archacon.

Then as the December days closed in, the skies became dark and clouds top heavy with rain, we celebrated Kate and Peter's wedding. 

I really hope that 2013 sees me being more creative, I think I need a new challenge, not another sky scarf though!

Fngers crossed the rain will ease and the sun will shine on 2013.

Happy New Year to you all!