Mums Birthday Waistcoat

I finished my Mums cable waistcoat just in time to post it out to her on the Tuesday before her Thursday birthday. She received it on the Thursday and seemed very pleased with it:

I left it without buttons as I wanted her to choose them herself as there is a better selection in Inverness than in Stornoway!!

So I'm now working on my 'Amusing Recovery' sweater which is huge!!! Yes, I think I sized it wrong but I'm not that bothered actually. It's gonna make a fab winter round the house sweater and if future winters are going to be anything like the one we are currently experiencing then it's just what I need in my wardrobe.

I also still have the 'Spider Socks' on my needles but the pattern is too intricate to be used as a portable project so I'm going to have them as a house project after I've finished the sweater and cast on some vanilla socks for knitting group this week.

I'm currently listening to 'Wolf Hall' by Hillary Mantel on the iPod and it's fantastic!!! Despite being difficult to get in to I am now half way through and hooked on this version of the Henry VIII / Anne Boleyn story told from the point of view of Thomas Cromwell.

More Pics As Promised

My stash in all it's glory:



Can you see why I'm going cold-sheep?

My lovely new KnitPro Spectra Trendz interchangeable needle set:



These are their new acrylic set and they are very nice but I haven't knit a whole project with them yet so will give a proper review then.

And finally, my beautiful Christmas present from the talented Cloudpurple:



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Happy New Year

A belated Happy New Year to all my readers!! I've been very busy working on a cable Cardigan for my mums birthday and I'll post pictures as soon as I'm finished.

I'm also 'cold-sheeping' this year which means no yarn buying for me. Given the size of my stash that's not a bad thing!!

As soon as I get a chance to fire up the laptop I'll post a huge amount of pictures for you :-) but here's some items I knitted for Xmas and over the holiday in the meantime.
Baby legwarmers


Chunky mittens for the snow in Aviemore.


First hot pink spider sock.


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Christmas is coming....

.... and I'm off!! Well hopefully, if the ferry sails on Tuesday and the Ullapool - Aviemore road is passable! So I thought I would give you one last post of 2009. Unfortunately I can't post any pictures of finished projects as I am worried that people may actually read this blog and spot their Christmas presents so instead I will give you some yummy yarn that is in my stash:

All this wool came from the fabulous Kemps Wool Shop. This is an online store I use (although it does have a bricks and mortar shop) which has fantastic prices and excellent shipping times. Can't reccommend it enough. The first yarn on the left is 10 50g balls of Patons Washed Haze Aran in Gray that I will be using for a tank top for he who pays. The middle yarn is another 10 50g balls of Patons Washed Haze Aran but in Teal this time and I will be using that for a sweater for Eldest Child. And the third yarn is 5 50g balls of Patons Diploma Gold DK in a denim blue colour that I will be using for a sweater for little1. This entire order including postage came to under £23 which is excellent in my opinion. Seriously, check out this store.

And this is the year of the COLD SHEEP people. Nope, I haven't decided to shear sheep in December but 2010 is the year I knit only from stash!! I know, shock horror but it's happening. I have a lot of really quality yarns in my stash but I also have a fair amount of cheap acrylic that squeaks when it's knitted that I bought for knitting toys from. So I've decided that this year I will knit those toys and stamp down my stash to make room for some beautiful hand dyed yarns from independent sellers in 2011.

And finally, it's perfect weather for knitters.

Yes, it's cold here on the rock in the Atlantic and so I intend to hunker on down for the weekend with some tea, mince pies and knitting. Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Finally!!!

Yes I am finally back. After at least 2 weeks of flu and stomach bugs in the Charminglochie household we appear to be clear. Touch wood. And paracetamol! But unfortunately I have no knitting to show you as I am still working on youngest brother in laws Christmas socks. That boy has huge feet by the way!!!

And the audiobook front hasn't been much better. I have been catching up on all the back episodes of 'Electric Sheep' (see earlier review) so I haven't been listening to any books. I decided to try and start 'Flashforward' by Robert Sawyer last night as I was enjoying the series so much but couldn't get in to it. So I am starting Terry Pratchett's 'Thief of Time' (Discworld Book 26) today as I have downloaded it. I am a huge Discworld fan and have all the hard copy books but have decided to start collecting the unabridged audio versions as well. Although it makes logical sense to start with book 1 I decided to go with Thief of Time as it's my favourite to date and I need something to get me through the Christmas knitting!!

I was going to do a review of the latest 'Yarn Forward' issue that arrived in the post yesterday but I wasn't very taken with it so I don't want to write anything negative so i'll leave it.

Well, that's me for now but will update with brother in laws socks as they progress in next few days!

My Favourite Space & A Completed Hedgehog!

After listening to the most recent KnitPicks podcast with Kelley Petkun about comfort while knitting, I took a look at my knitting space. I recently received a gorgeous brown leather tub chair which is the most comfortable chair in the world. It is so popular in our house that He Who Pays has maybe sat in it twice since last Friday. That may also say a lot about the pecking order!!

Anyway I have totally claimed this chair as MY chair and it sits between my lovely warm fire and my stereo and has the perfect space next to it for my knitting box (which my lovely boys gave me for my birthday) with my current work in progress in and my handbag with my iPod and phone.











Now I just need to knit a lovely fluffy cushion for it. Any ideas on patterns?

And the hedgehog is complete:

Another fantastic pattern from the lovely designer Alan Dart but quite fiddly to sew up. My dad loves hedgehogs so I think this will be a welcome 70th birthday present.

He also requested a pair of fingerless mittens so I am going to knit up a pair of Dashings for him from Knitty with some black watch Aran yarn to match the hat and scarf I made him last year.

My to do list keeps growing and growing!!

Amusing Recovery Makes Progress

It's been a while hasn't it? But at least I have something to show for it:


This is my 'Amused' sweater designed by Jordana Paige and featured in the Winter 2008 edition of the online knitting magazine, Knitty.com.

It's a top down sweater knitted in the round so that means no seaming!! Yay, I hate seaming. I am knitting it in a Wendy Aran with Wool yarn in a purple/lilac colour. But you may notice the mistake. Yes, my cables are upside down. I messed up. But I decided that seeing as they are all still pointing the same way I was just gonna go with it and call it a pattern. If the sweater had been for anyone else I would have probably ripped it back but it's only for me :o)

Other items on the needle are eldest childs sock for Christmas from the Harry Potter Opal yarn. I am at the foot part of the second sock so they should be finished by the end of the week. And I also have the Hedgehog 'Hibernating Harry' designed by Alan Dart that I have knitted for my Dad's 70th birthday present. All knitted up but still have the seaming to do and I keep putting it off. I will hopefully have that finished by the end of the week as well.

Will this be a week when stuff actually comes off my needles?? Watch this space!