Yippee..only had to wait 11 days for my invitation to join Ravelry! Still finding my way around but just love everything I've seen so far. Already used it to decide my next project, I need something to take on holiday next week as well as the socks I'll start in Cherry Tree Hill - Earth. I've chosen the free pattern for Branching Out lace scarf which I'll do in beautiful Berry Red Wool and Mulberry Silk from Knitting4fun (this was some stash enhancement shopping my friend Marylyn did for me when she went to Harrogate Knitting and Stitching Show in November...what a good friend, I know she would have loved to hide it in her own stash really!)
So that's me sorted for two weeks in Spain, will probably get plenty of opportunity to knit as we are going with my elderly parents-in-law, they have at last admitted that at 85 and 87 they are not quite up to going away on their own anymore after having done so twice a year for the last 13 years. We're taking one small mobility scooter and hiring another when we get there and also a car. They will be celebrating their 63rd wedding anniversary while we are away too.
Just before Christmas I ordered The Knitter's Almanack by Elizabeth Zimmermann from an Amazon marketplace dealer. My package arrived speedily but I was surprised to find that inside was Miss Vera's Cross-Dressing For Success by Miss Vera!! Now the V and Z of the author's names may have meant they were near each other on the shelf but I rather think someone was having a laugh! It was all sorted with a couple of swift emails and I had my Christmas reading in good time. I've ordered Kate Jacob's Friday Night Knitting club for my hols so do wonder what will arrive!
Still can't manage to add my last UFO photo so that will have to wait, will try again later with perhaps also a shot of Mum and Dad trundling along the front at Benalmadena on their scooters!
Thursday 17 January 2008
Tuesday 8 January 2008
Not as dim as I thought!
I managed to get my lace started at the second attempt, it wasn't the casting on that was so much of a problem as the next few rows. When I realised I wasn't reading the pattern properly it all became clear! I'm doing Leaf Lace in the most scrummy pale turquoise Artesano Alpaca. No photos of it just yet but I have been busy with the camera and am about to see if I'm any better at putting photos on here than I am at links...I failed dismally with the one I tried to do to Mazaam but seeing as she commented on my last post there is a way to visit her.
I love reading the Knitting Daily emails and the New Year message from Sandi Wiseheart about knitting fearlessly in 2008 was brilliant. There were so many comments from readers and I agreed with all of them and I'm really going to knit and post fearlessly this year!
Thinking about the knitting I've done over the years brought to mind my most favourite project, this 2 ply blanket for my first baby. It took quite a long time to complete but was ready in good time for March 1973. It was used for all four babies and now by my grandchildren in the dolls pram, so I fished it out and here it is!
The yarn was something very inexpensive on a cone and worked on very fine needles in triangles that were grafted together. I remember being told off for knitting it when I was in hospital with pre-eclampsia because I was supposed to be resting!Seeing as I'm being fearless I'm going to show photos of all my UFOs. These are embroideries of one sort or another, any knitting I got stuck with was usually finished for me by my Mum or Mum-in-law.
This was going to be a cushion cover, a rather random arrangement using iron-on transfers worked in silks and started in 1971.
Another cushion cover...William Morris Fox in wool started in 1996. I really love this and having another look at it has made me wonder about getting on with it, doesn't give me the same itch as knitting though.
There's one more photo but I've wasted so many hours trying to do this on my laptop, finding that moving pics from the top where they appear into place is virtually impossible..don't know why. This is the third attempt at this post having given up at 12.45am on the first. Working on our home pc instead was easy peasy and I was just about to download the last photo when the wretched thing crashed to oblivion, so I'm back on my laptop...thank goodness for the auto draft saver!
I have to smile when I look at the title of this post, believe me I now feel dimmer than dim! If it wasn't for my fearless pledge I would have deleted my whole blogging blog in the early hours of this morning!
Somebody please tell me it gets easier.
Tuesday 1 January 2008
Blogger at last!
What better time to start my blog than on New Years Day. It isn't exactly a resolution... just something that I've at last got round to after putting it off for ages thinking it was going to be abit scary, but so far so good!
I find reading blogs fascinating and always wonder if the instant impression of the blogger that springs into my mind is anywhere near accurate. My most favourite blogger is MAZAAM AGAIN she and I have been friends in real life for nearly thirty years and reading her blog for the first time was just like chatting with her...now, is that because I know her so well or does everyone get the same picture of her?
2007 was something of a milestone year for me, in September I had my 60th birthday and best of all I retired from work. I'd worked in libraries since I was 17 and always loved the work. After a good long break when our four children were born I went back to work part time in the busy central library in the centre of town gradually increasing my hours to 30 a week. For 19 years it was an excellent place to work with fantastic colleagues, then two years ago there was a massive reorganisation and the job was changed beyond recognition. We all tried to be positive and hoped things would improve even though the new system was disliked by both public and staff. By last year I felt that enough was enough and that at my age I didn't need to feel stressed and miserable every day so, although I'd always thought I would be stamping books when I was a very old lady, I decided to retire as soon as possible. I did just that and love my new life....being a pensioner with a bus pass is very liberating!
Having more time now has given me chance to rekindle my love of knitting, it's something I've always enjoyed but never seemed to actually do very much. Mazaam on the other hand is the most prolific knitter I know...always having some project or other on the go at break time (we worked together) watching her always made me itch to knit...all knitters know that itch! She made me the most beautiful Flower Garden lace shawl in wonderful moss green alpaca which I will always treasure.
I'm hoping to keep track of my knitting on here....not too much to list so far though, a pretty purple cable and bead bag from 25 More bags to knit by Emma King which still needs lining but looks good. Then a holey turquoise mohair scarf...very simple but just right as a holiday project. Next came some red squares for the Children's Society Christmas Stocking appeal. Now I'm working on my first pair of socks in lovely pink/purple Regia, one is done and the second is about half way. Have tried very hard to start my own lace shawl but can't seem to get my head round the clever casting on....mazaam gave me a sneaky masterclass behind the helpdesk at the library when I popped in on new years eve, she says it's easy so I must be abit dim!
As it's now 00.20am I'm not actually starting my blog on New Years Day, but as I started composing it then...I'm going to pretend that I did!
I find reading blogs fascinating and always wonder if the instant impression of the blogger that springs into my mind is anywhere near accurate. My most favourite blogger is MAZAAM AGAIN she and I have been friends in real life for nearly thirty years and reading her blog for the first time was just like chatting with her...now, is that because I know her so well or does everyone get the same picture of her?
2007 was something of a milestone year for me, in September I had my 60th birthday and best of all I retired from work. I'd worked in libraries since I was 17 and always loved the work. After a good long break when our four children were born I went back to work part time in the busy central library in the centre of town gradually increasing my hours to 30 a week. For 19 years it was an excellent place to work with fantastic colleagues, then two years ago there was a massive reorganisation and the job was changed beyond recognition. We all tried to be positive and hoped things would improve even though the new system was disliked by both public and staff. By last year I felt that enough was enough and that at my age I didn't need to feel stressed and miserable every day so, although I'd always thought I would be stamping books when I was a very old lady, I decided to retire as soon as possible. I did just that and love my new life....being a pensioner with a bus pass is very liberating!
Having more time now has given me chance to rekindle my love of knitting, it's something I've always enjoyed but never seemed to actually do very much. Mazaam on the other hand is the most prolific knitter I know...always having some project or other on the go at break time (we worked together) watching her always made me itch to knit...all knitters know that itch! She made me the most beautiful Flower Garden lace shawl in wonderful moss green alpaca which I will always treasure.
I'm hoping to keep track of my knitting on here....not too much to list so far though, a pretty purple cable and bead bag from 25 More bags to knit by Emma King which still needs lining but looks good. Then a holey turquoise mohair scarf...very simple but just right as a holiday project. Next came some red squares for the Children's Society Christmas Stocking appeal. Now I'm working on my first pair of socks in lovely pink/purple Regia, one is done and the second is about half way. Have tried very hard to start my own lace shawl but can't seem to get my head round the clever casting on....mazaam gave me a sneaky masterclass behind the helpdesk at the library when I popped in on new years eve, she says it's easy so I must be abit dim!
As it's now 00.20am I'm not actually starting my blog on New Years Day, but as I started composing it then...I'm going to pretend that I did!
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