The first sock in the sockstravaganza :) Knitting during a car journey to visit my mother-in-law.

I've had this material for such a long time, and haven't felt very inspired by it. But an urge to sew something quick and easy meant these pyjama bottoms got made, and now I really like them! And really like the material. I'm tempted to find more cheap cotton from Ikea to make more pyjama bottoms.

I love this photo of the glaced fruit ingredients for Hagos's birthday cake. His favourite is Bishop's Cake from a recipe given to me by his mum. We've never managed to get hold of angelica before, but Hagos ordered it online (is there anything that can't be bought online?). I love the colours all together. His mum told me it's called Bishop's Cake because when you slice through the cake it's like a stained glass window.

The finished cake! It was rather big. Hagos said we should put it next to Arthur's Seat for scale :)

I had a lovely few days off. I have a couple of three day weeks in April. Looking forward to that. 

Sockstravaganza - and other things

I decided to have an ongoing project of knitting socks. Lots of socks. Lots of colour combinations. Knitted with a mix of wool and tweed (above). 

So I've been to John Lewis a couple of lunchtimes and have bought odd balls I like. All Rowan Pure wool 4 ply (and Rowan Tweed) so far but I do want to branch out and knit some chunkier (and faster) socks. I did try to buy more of the alpaca 4 ply from the yarn store near my work, but they had none of the £5 balls left, only wool and alpaca that cost between £13 and £20 a ball, which is prohibitively expensive. Who can afford to buy a ball of wool for £20? Especially if you want to knit a jumper and would need ten balls!

Above are odd balls of 4 ply I have left from other projects. I still miss the Jaeger wool. I have some of it left - amazing elasticity and durability - and it was only £3 a ball! 

I finished my add-on sleeves and attached them to my jumper. I'm very happy with the result. Haggis still thinks it's bonkers. At least I can get some wear out of the jumper now, instead of it looking lovely in my wardrobe.

I bought this material years ago, soon after buying the hippo material from Ikea, to make more pyjama bottoms. Today I got round to washing it and was planning to cut out two more pairs of PJs but didn't quite get that far. I've dug out the pattern so will pin and cut out hopefully some time in the week. I don't like the material as much as I like the hippo material, but at £3 for 3 metres I couldn't resist! I should get two pairs of pyjama bottoms out of this. I might edge the bottom with contrasting material like I did with one pair of the hippo PJs, just for fun.

This is the pattern.

The Great British Sewing Bee is back on TV and it's so great to see it again. I've already watched the first programme twice. There's a woman who has chickens and two black goats so I like her. I'm glad they have more contestants this year, it means the programme will last longer. Eight weeks instead of four. Woohoo.

Books, husband, blue egg, coffee, rolls, eggs and MEG!

I'm finding my reading list difficult to keep up with. No sooner have I (almost) finished one book, and the next has to be started for the following week. I feel like I've been going to the class forever, but we are only on week five - halfway through. And as fascinating as I find all the books, and all the techniques, this week I found myself longing to just read a story. 

So when I saw this in Tesco's on Friday I bought it. I love Pride and Prejudice. I re-read it at least once a year and forever find deeper nuances in the text. I think Jane Austen is incredibly concise and packs so much into her sentence construction. Even when I'm re-reading the book, I re-read paragraphs within the book because I get so much out of it. I would love parts of the book to expand, so I can enjoy more of it. So when other writers try to expand the story themselves I'm always interested. Not that it ever turns out well (Death Comes to Pemberley by PD James - urgh - SO awful in every way). But I remember reading about this book somewhere ages ago and as it's from the perspective of the servants and I expect only intersects with P&P at progressive narrative points I thought it might do. 

Last night my husband came home from tour. The first tour of the year always takes a bit of getting used to. Over the winter I get used to him being at home and we get into a routine of comfortable companionship: keeping warm, watching DVDs and TV series, doing our chores, seeing friends, spending time with our animals, etc etc. I always feel lost the first day he goes away, and then I get into a rhythm and work on my own projects to keep myself occupied. But, it's so nice to have him home again. 

This, I hope, is a better photo of a blue egg. We think both Rosie and Pig (Cream Crested Legbars) are laying. Duck (the third Cream Crested Legbar) isn't as developed as Rosie and Pig. Her comb is under-developed, though it has got redder in the last couple of days.

A spontaneous purchase. When I drive to visit my parents I always make a half-caf cappuccino to take on the drive. It's one of my favourite parts of the trip. I love caffeine, and the effect it has on my mood, and that coupled with the stunning views of the trees and the Devil's Beeftub are just lovely. I often also listen to the audio book of Pride and Prejudice. I really should get another audio book. I make the cappuccino in an ordinary cup, and though we have a cup holder in the glove compartment, I'm always conscious of having to drive carefully while drinking it, so I'm hoping this cup will make spilling the coffee less likely.

My recent favourite thing to bake is rolls! I just use my normal, simple, bread recipe, but shape them into rolls instead. When Hagos was on tour I froze them and took one out a day for lunch. Simple pleasures.

These are today's eggs. We've had the chickens for almost two years now, and the wonder and thrill of collecting the day's eggs never lessens. I really feel like I'm collecting precious and beautiful jewels. I love the different shapes and colours. I love knowing which chicken has laid which egg. And there is something purely delightful about collecting a still-warm egg from the laying box and holding it in my hand as I walk home. 

This is my and Meg's Saturday morning ritual. After feeding all the animals (if I'm on duty) we cuddle up at the kitchen table and I drink half-caf cappuccino and look at beautiful and inspiring blogs, and she sleeps and dreams and twitches and snores on my lap. I love her.

Jumper conversion, and other things

So, I finished one of my short-sleeved conversions! I love it. It is a bit bonkers, as Hagos said, but it works really well. I decided to attach the red sleeves to the green jumper, as I found almost-matching blue wool to attach to the blue jumper, in the previous post.

This is me and my little friend, Duck. She is a Cream Crested Legbar, that my neighbours hatched from an egg. She's the least developed of her three chick sisters - her comb hasn't grown and turned red yet. Every day when I open the feed bin she jumps up onto it and I have to spoon, or hand, feed her. This day she jumped up on to my shoulder, to my absolute delight. She's so beautiful.

Today I had an entire day to myself and it was lovely. I am at my happiest when I spend half of my time by myself. The balance is currently out because I'm working full time. So I had a leisurely morning drinking coffee at the kitchen table, cuddling Meg and reading other knitting and sewing blogs; then this afternoon I finished the jumper conversion above, as well as baking some rolls. I've had a hankering for home-made rolls for a few days now. I'll keep them in the freezer and take out one a day.

The most exciting news this last week has been that one of Duck's sisters, Rosie, laid her first BLUE egg. It's the bottom middle egg in the photo. I'll take better photos and post them next time. Amazingly exciting. And so beautiful.

I've had such a lovely day today. Could really do with a repeat day tomorrow.

Raspberry Red

This is my jumper amendment that's going on at the minute. The jumper on the bottom is acting as a template against which to measure how long I need to knit the sleeve. The jumper on top is, of course, the short-sleeved jumper the sleeve will be knitted onto. When I told my husband what I was doing he was sure I must be pulling his leg!

I'm loving knitting in this raspberry red colour. It's so jolly and cheerful. I never knit in this colour scheme. The closest I get is a warm yellow/honey colour. Mostly I go for blues, which I know suit my hair and skin colouring, and greens, which I also love. I might have to knit a whole jumper in this wool.

I've been feeling particularly off-kilter since Boxing Day, when I came down with a cold. We had some pre-Christmas animal loss, which I always find difficult. A goose escaped, and then one of our chicks was killed by a visiting dog. As soon as I take on responsibility for an animal I feel an absolute attachment to it. Of course, I'm fonder of some than of others, but I still find it difficult to watch an animal in distress. The goose and the chick winded me, and then there was all the Christmas shenanigans to contend with, and so my immunity was low when my great-niece Lucy coughed all over me on Christmas Day. And I haven't felt quite at full robust-ness since. 

My first 'Experimental Fiction' class was really great mid-week. The tutor had an understated, laid back, but still knew what he was talking about style, which I liked.  

The jumper I wish I'd never knitted

Sure, it looks good in the photo, maybe something to do with the beautiful model, but knitting this jumper in real life has taken me, I believe, seven years.

Today I decided to sew in all the loose ends, and insert the V in the neckline. I thought I might even get as far as sewing it together and be able to consign it to the 'finished' pile. But when I came to sew in the loose ends, of which there were a few (explanation later) I found A HOLE!. Just near the top left hand shoulder front. Both the purple wool and the green wool had broken at exactly the same point.

To mend it I pulled, distorting the gauge because there was no give, and tied the ends as best I could and then I put clear nail varnish over the knots, because at this stage there was nothing else I could think to do.

I carried on, only to find ANOTHER hole in the ribbing on the back, so I darned that as best I could, not even bothering about the aesthetic of how it would look. I'm now on the final sleeve, sewing in the loose ends and I've found yet another hole. This time the green wool has snapped.

This jumper has been plagued with problems. The moral of the story is not to buy wool so far in advance of knitting the garment that the wool is discontinued and so there is no hope of returning it to the shop for a refund or another ball. The final ball of purple wool I used had so many frays in it I had to continually break it and re-introduce it into the sleeve (so, lots of ends - another annoyance). Then I ran out of green wool at the top of the last sleeve and had to use different wool/different colour to finish it off. 

I'll finish patching it together as best I can and then use it as a run around jumper. Maybe it'll be good for when I'm cleaning out the chickens. And if I get any more holes I'll put a whopping great patch on it.

Grrrrr.

Jumper # 1

I finished a jumper! The first out of five (jumper # 4 has been knitted; jumper # 5 is halfway through).

It's from Vintage Knits, Sarah Dallas. I've knitted it before, years ago, in a muted purple Jaeger 4 ply.

This is alpaca, and it is so soft and utterly lovely.

Jumper # 2 is lined up to be worked on tomorrow. It feels good!

One for me, one for you

I like thinking of new things to make, so making aprons out of oilcloth I bought in John Lewis was a really fun project. I made one for myself...

...and one for my neighbours. I got the ties from Edinburgh Fabrics (I think that's what it's called - a great fabric/haberdashers I pass on my way into town).

I also put this adjustable part on my neighbours' apron (my ties are fixed). I think it does what I intended it to do! Will have to buy more as I love things like this.

I have a wee bit of oilcloth left so I might make another bag. I'm also thinking of buying different oilcloth to make more aprons/bags. John Lewis has a great range, but the Cath Kidston shop also sells oilcloth occasionally. I thought about making a rain mac out of it too.

And a gratuitous shot of my great niece Lucy on Christmas Day. She's a great wee character. The first girl to be born into our family since me! She has unruly ginger hair, which she won't let anyone brush. She looked especially cute in her dress, jumper and boots, riding her new horse.

Jumpers on the brain

I have three short-sleeved jumpers, knitted years ago (my first attempts at the Sarah Dallas Vintage Knits jumpers), that I like very much but NEVER wear. When is there a call to wear a short-sleeved jumper? The next three jumpers I knitted to this pattern (because I like the pattern very much) were all long-sleeved, two of which (the third I've just finished knitting) get worn all the time. So I've decided to turn my short-sleeved jumpers into long-sleeved jumpers, by knitting a contrasting 'sleeve' to join under the rib. I didn't really mean to begin knitting this, but I had a leftover ball of 'avocado Rowan 4-ply pure wool' and nothing to knit, so I cast on and have almost finished the first add-on sleeve. I'll have to go to John Lewis tomorrow and get another ball. Hopefully the dye lot won't be too far away from this one!

The other two jumpers both have a raspberry pinky/red as the contrasting colour, so I'll also buy four balls of that. I don't mind if they look a bit odd.

I have a COMPLETE fetish over jumpers at the moment. I can't stop knitting them (jumper 4 out of 5 just finished) or buying them. I got two lovely tweedy jumpers from the Boden sale: one a gorgeous purple, the other an off-white/oatmeal. 

Anyway. I'll upload progress as I go. More jumper goodness coming soon!

December

I made these socks for my friend, Fiona. She liked the socks I knitted her last year so much, and has said so, many times, I just had to knit her another pair.

Of course, no shot is complete without the obligatory cat getting in on the act.

The above toiletries bag is Version 1 that I made for my work Make-it-Yourself Secret Santa. It's a gorgeous wool tweed, lined with waterproof material. The finished version - Version 2 - has a toggle. I sewed the hem of the first one too close to the edge, which meant the material bunched up too much to close properly at the top. So I left a larger hem in Version 2, and it closes beautifully. It was our works night out on Friday so we exchanged gifts then.

My Santa made me these - or, I suspect - painted and glazed them. Very cute.

I'm counting down the days to Friday, or Thursday even. Friday is the last work day for two weeks, but I suspect Thursday will be the last public day. Looking forward to a break at home with my husband and animal friends.

Into December

So, the beginning of December finds me grumpily finishing off the accounts. Christmas and accounts don't mix. I'm trying to get shot of them at the very beginning of the month, rather than a week before Christmas, which is when I finished them last year. I have a couple of things still to do and I'll post them off on Friday.

In more exciting news: we think Squeaky Cheese laid an egg!

Squeaky Cheese is the very beautiful chick on the right hand side of the photo. There's only one thing to do when such a tiny and precious egg is laid, and that's make Lemon Curd, or Lemon Cheese as some people call it, or Squeaky Lemon Cheese if it's made with an egg from Squeaky Cheese :)

The first sock for my friend is finished and I'm a third of the way through the second. (It isn't sewn up yet.)

I'm trying not to feel overwhelmed by December. Next weekend I have three days off and I'm hoping they're going to be filled with FUN stuff. Chill out stuff. I'm already scaling down what I feel I have to do - knit a present for my colleague who's just had a baby? I could but I'm not going to. That kind of thing. 

November

I like November. I like the crisp, clear sunlight during the day, and then cosying up beside the wood burner at night with my various projects close by (knitting, reading, notebook planning, watching TV).

And I like winter outdoor pursuits. We had a bonfire again this year. And a firework display. I was a wee bit concerned about the animals, but Pete had chosen fireworks that didn't scream or bang too loudly. I spent the morning baking banana and walnut cake, and apple pies and it was lovely to have everyone round to ours first before heading out. I realised, though, part-way through, that I was worrying about Meg. I had expected everyone to stay out once we went out to the bonfire, but there was quite a bit of in and out for various reasons (cold; children) and I started feeling stressed. So I did what I should have done from the outset and locked Meg in upstairs. That meant people could come and go as they liked and Meg would be safely inside. 

Last Wednesday I met my friend Janie in York. It is halfway between where we each live. We headed straight to Betty's Tea Rooms when we arrived and had Elevenses. It was so lovely and very civilised and so busy. When we went back later (I wanted to buy their chocolate pigs) there was a queue right out the door! Amazing.

We had five hours in York and I knew it would pass too quickly. We talked non-stop from when we met to when we parted. I really miss living near to Janie and Ba. They are such good fun and great people. 

Hagos and I went to Whitmuir for coffee and cake on Thursday. Hagos likes to pull funny faces. The chocolate cake was amazing, but I have been over-indulging recently and my body has reached its limit!

I hadn't intended knitting a pair of socks anytime soon (what with five jumpers at various stages of knitting and completion on the go) but my friend hinted so often that she loved the socks I knitted her last year that I started thinking I should knit her another pair. I would need to get her something for Christmas, after all. So I chose the three colours and made it up as I went along. I like to think of it as a crazy-Tweed type pattern. I'm planning to make the toe entirely yellow.

It's been so nice having time off. When I'm working full-time my head is in work mode and is busybusybusy. Too busy. I miss having time to look after my house and family. All the little jobs there isn't time to do. I miss seeing Meg and Hagos and my chickens (particularly in winter as they are in bed by the time I get home from work). And just having the time to make home more homely. My back hallway needs a good clean and clear out. 

And now I'm on the countdown to Christmas, and I still have Hagos's accounts to itemise and finish preparing for the accountant. I'll just have to try to pace myself.

A Catch Up

It's been a busy month. My husband returned home from tour and it's so nice to have him home. The first weekend back we had planned the GREAT APPLE-PICKING day. Collecting apples to turn them into cider! All apple-related pics courtesy of Pete. 

The lower apples were easy to reach. But it was so tantalising to see the higher apples and not be able to reach them. In the end we had a ladder, a mop and a football to try to knock the apples out of the tree. I think the football is still in the tree.

Shaking the tree was a great method to make the apples drop. The kids helped enthusiastically at the first tree. By the second tree they were already getting distracted and sitting on the quad bike instead while the adults gathered, and not long after that they headed off to watch Star Wars and left the adults to it entirely.

The apple press caused much excitement, along with the macerator (not pictured). Boys' toys. It is beautiful though. I love the green.

We collected so many apples. We started at 1.30pm and Hagos and I were still next door at our neighbours' house at midnight! We were so exhausted.

The apple press in action. 

I love this photo of the boys together. Some people ate the apples as we went from tree to tree :)

And a completely unrelated photo from Lynsey's birthday dinner last night at Viva Mexico on Coburn Street. Last year there was a sombrero that she put on and looked very fetching. This year the sombrero was nowhere to be seen (cutbacks, perhaps?) so Lynsey used her placemat instead.

I still have five jumpers at various stages of being knitted/finished off. I wanted to finish them all at the same time and then do a post entitled 'Jumper Tetris'. That's seeming less likely! 

Also in the past month my sister moved house. I went down to Dumfries to help clean the new place one day. It brought back memories of moving from Norfolk to Scotland. Such a major operation!

Today is Whitmuir for coffee and cake. Then tomorrow we're celebrating bonfire night early. I like fireworks but hope there aren't too many that go 'bang'. I don't want the animals (wild or domesticated) to be scared. I like fireworks that fizz gently and turn different colours. And sparklers. I like this time of year.