Call me crazy

I had a bad experience in the last round of Secret Pal, not for the first time. It seems though, from the Ravelry group that no.14 was unlucky for lots of people. So obviously I took a firm decision not to sign up for the next one, to satisfy my need to swap with short term one-offs. Mmmmmm. I now have a very nice hostess from 14 who is sorting out a parcel for me. I have really enjoyed making contact with all my downstream partners. I have read the promise of better monitoring and believed it. I am very impressed with the professional look of the website . What can I say? I have signed up for 15 but at the lowest level of financial commitment and can only cross my fingers, although not whilst typing or knitting. So call me crazy and we'll see!

Subscriptions

I am always really happy when the first copy of a new magazine subscription arrives. Rosemary continued my sub to Coast as part of my Christmas present and she got a fantastic 2 for 2 offer so I am getting Country Living as well which is a big favourite with both of us. It's a good thing she had told me as the first C.L. turned up before Christmas. It's actually a doubly good giving experience as I pass on the copies to Rosemary! I have also recently received Good Housekeeping which I got with Tesco vouchers. The best was when my first copy of Piecework turned up today. It is the annual historical knitting issue. Joy!

Happy New Year

So how are you saying it? Two thousand and ten or twenty ten? There seems to be an even split among the people I have asked.

I am at home at the moment, three days into a horrible cold. At least it is giving me lots of knitting time as I have no energy for much else. I am well into the shawl I am knitting for the Ravelry Worldwide Shaw Exchange and have only about 12 more rows but each row is about a million stitches long so I am taking a break and have started on the wool I bought in the John Lewis sale. I've gone first for the last purchase. Rowan felted tweed in pink. Now I have used and loved felted tweed before but pink???? It's quite a subtle pink though so I think it will be wearable. I am knitting Textured cardigan form Rowan Studio 8. I am having a bit of a crisis with which size to knit.
I also bought two lots of Regia sock wool, some olive green Kidsilk Haze and some cinnamon coloured Pure Wool 4ply.

Challenge!

A few weeks ago rosemary and I were having coffee and scones at John Lewis and each had a tiny jar of jam. We were discussing how we always felt we should find a use for these and the idea emerged that we would challenge each other to decorate our jars and present them to each other on Christmas day. Isabel got involved too. I finally did mine and was asked to do one for Millie so she doesn't feel left out.


This is the one for Isabel who keeps rabbits;


Millie has a bit of a thing about Frosty the Snowman;



It's a bit of a squidge but he does fit inside.

Look at this....

I had my Christmas present from Isabel in November. It was a willow basket workshop.Whoo Hoo! We went together to a Wildlife Trust nature reserve near Newark where lots of willow grows. We cut lots of willow and then were told to use the withies provided by the leader cos ours weren't long (they meant good) enough. Well we had a fabulous day. We had wrapped up warmly but had to take off a few layers as it was a lovely day and here is the result;



Yes, it's a proper basket with a handle and everything!

Well I never!

ever since I started using this laptop instead of the big computor which is slightly unwell I have assumed I would have to do something tricky to post pictures WRONG! I just attached the camera and it did it by itself. Who knew??? This means I have not recorded any knitting for ages and have given most things away being socks for Rosemary and mitts for Isabel. Oh well at least I know I am back functioning again and so all I need to do is remember to take the pix.
What prompted the picture loading was receiving a box of Christmasness from bluenail in Canada for the ravelry Christmas Swap.


See all that lovely yarn and all that yummy chocolate. There is also a bag of interesting coffee beans, a gingerbread man cutter with a suitable recipe a decotation ot put on the tree and a present to put under it. (I haven't opened it Honestly) A handmade item was part of the swap and here are the mitts bluenail made for me.

New Knitter on the block

Here is Millie when she was about 3 years old, trying on a new waistcoat. She is now 6 and wants to learn to knit.Last night the penny dropped and she took off with her little kitten head needles flying and some pink wool turning ito goodness knows what. She says we can now be knitting buddies and I have to get her a knitting book and buy her some more wool for Christmas.