WELLIE SOCKS FOR CHARLOTTE!

Before I ramble on about the delights of my knitting antics this week, I feel I must tell you about this funny thing that happened yesterday.

As our central heating has been caput for a couple of days, yesterday we had a visit from British Gas. Once the boiler was fixed and while we waited for some warmth to return to our home three of us, that's Michael, myself and Sciatica went into town for lunch. Yes, after living with Sciatica for some weeks now, she does appear to like being attached to my side.

Anyway, moving on with the story. Michael and I, arm in arm slowly ambled along the high street but soon had to come to a halt as he decided he had to check something on his phone. As I was now standing solo  I took this opportunity to do some light leg stretching and toe twiddling.

Suddenly on my left I was distracted by a woman who brushed past me with a purpose to her stride wearing a thick coat, a big hat with flappy ears and swinging an enormous shopping bag.  To be honest I probably wouldn't have noticed her except that she was the rabbit that lured my husband off at a trot and before I could even make the decision of which of my feet I should move first, they had disappeared shoulder to shoulder down the high street.

Oh did I laugh, because I knew what was going to happen next!

Just as they passed WH Smith, the poor lady obviously realised that she needed to go in there, slammed on her breaks and turned to retrace her steps. This in turn brought Michael to an abrupt halt and he also turned in the opposite direction so now instead of shoulder to shoulder they were face to face!

His, was a picture as he mumbled something along the lines of, I thought you were my wife, her's was of just utter shock. Poor woman!!

What did I think?  I was rather pleased he didn't try to grab hold of her hand, could have been an issue!

And what did I do next?  In the words of TXT terminology, LOL of course!!!

Back now to my knitting of the week, I have just finished these very thick socks for Charlotte, ideal I hope to keep her feet warm when she's out in her wellies.

I've already got another sock on my needles ready for Jessica in the same yarn, Drops Big Delight.
Hopefully, I'll get the pair finished in a few days.

PS. A little foot note.
Only today am I beginning to believe that Sciatica and I after four weeks have had enough of each other. Today, for the first time I've been able to experience some pain free time.
Fingers crossed!!

THE CASE OF THE MISSING KEY!

Yesterday on returning home from a nice lunch out I set to task preparing dinner - shepherds pie. I busied myself in the kitchen chopping onions and carrots and finally got the pie on the stove to cook.
Potatoes next I thought,  kept in the garage I went to grab the key but alas there was no key!
Where could it have got too?
Husband phoned to say he was on his way home and asked what's for dinner. Possibly shepherds pie, I told him if I can find the key to the garage. He suggested being helpful like, I find the spare which only opens the front of the garage meaning I would have to negotiate Jessica's doll's pushchair, our lawnmower and 2 boats!!
Finally, I returned to the kitchen, peeled the potatoes and got on with dinner.

Husband came home and we tried to solve the case of the missing key. I went through all MY pockets while he took a torch outside and went through the rubbish and recycling. No joy!
In the end he deduced that the culprit might well be under 3ft tall and went off to query the matter with her parents.

This morning, whilst I was told it was not a serious issue, I was reminded that it was important to find it. So, just a short while ago I've been through the toy box, rearranged the lego, looked under the settee cushions and indeed the settee, checked MY pockets again and then checked in the pockets of the duffle coat that hangs in the wardrobe.
Mine? - No!
Paddington Bear's?- Oh no!!!!
Husbands? - Oh yes, yes, yes!!!!!!!!!

All I can say is thank god it wasn't me that went through the rubbish!

Love 'em? - Well yes, it is Valentine's day after all!!!!

SLIPPERS!

Sometimes even when you make things yourself once finished, they're not really to your liking. These slippers have unfortunately entered that category. Maybe it's because I struggled with the pattern at first although once I got properly started, the pattern was not difficult at all!

No doubt they will wallow somewhere in the depths of my bedroom and will be much welcomed on a cold winter's night when I can't get my feet warm.

I've already cast on for a pair of socks for Charlotte, still using Drops Big Delight but this time in a different shade. I'll have to go shopping again for more so I can finish them and make a pair for Jessica.

This past week I've had 2 visits to the oesteopath for treatment to my knee. It was so much better that on Saturday I was able to potter outside, just snipping at dead heads while Michael repotted herbs and broke up the wooden herb trough which now after a few years was beyond repair.

Some shrubs and trees are already showing signs  that spring is not too far a way. A pleasing thought, yet this Monday morning we've woken to another dusting of snow and a pretty dull and miserable day.
My knee is once again painful, (I don't think the cold weather helps), and I've been back to the oesteopath this afternoon for more treatment with another appointment booked for Friday.
My Mum would say that it's not nice getting older but she's nearly 90! I'm in my 50's and at the moment I feel like she does. It says something when my favourite companion of the moment is a tube of Bio-Freeze!!!
Hopefully next time I post I will be pain free, so less grumpy and I will also post some pictures of my sock adventure.

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.