Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to my DH - ten happy and eventful years !

Now, I'm being a bit naughty today - DH and I have bought and exchanged the cards, there will be a lovely family dinner this evening, and then.... Flavaknits! I know what you were all thinking! We have booked our anniversary gift to each other, a round of golf, and a session at a Spa, but thats in a few weeks time. Its been a great ten years , and we've been blessed with two beautiful children , and a lovely home . Our lives are quite different to the ones we lead ten years ago - less about self now, all about family . We've a bit of catching up to do with my in laws , they've been married nearly fifty years - FIFTY YEARS!

I'm reading Alan Bennetts "Untold Stories" and love the one about his parents wedding. They were such a shy couple that they got the vicar to marry them at eight in the morning, so there wouldn't be a fuss, and his father could get to work on time . The stories he write about his parents are very touching, and the marriage vow about "in sickness and health" was truly tested , in his parents case , his poor mother suffering from depression, and his father making a round trip of 50 miles a day to visit her in hospital (and ALWAYS on time, never late) . Love indeed.

And so , back to the Knitting

There was a bit of a break in the knitting mainly due to a dodgy back, which required a visit to the Osteopath. Several cricks of the neck later, we are back on track . I am on to the final colour change of the pinwheel sweater, and also on to the heel turn of my sock, the first of a pair. Every now and again I knit a few more rows of my kiddyprint sweater sleeve - 2 ply yarn on 3mm needles - not the quickest knitting to do !

Had a visit to John Lewis where I bought some (more) lovely knitting pattern books - here are a few of my favourites below

Kidsilk Aura book - sweater on front cover is my favourite, especially in that wonderful raspberry colour.

Rowan Studio - booklet 6 , I think! My favourite, favourite is the cropped jacket in Rowan Cocoon. My sister is knitting Narvik out the latest Rowan Magazine in three brown/gold shades, and it is gorgeous (expensive, but gorgeous!) I love this little strappy top too, the beading just sets it off.

I saw a similar short-sleeved jacket in a fashion magazine, but this one done in big wool is just divine. And that wide neck sweater - why oh why is there never enough time (or money) for all my wish list! Maybe if I write a nice letter to Santa Claus.

Oh well, back to the knitting .

A Fond Farewell

Its been a happy and sad week here in our little town. Last Thursday the QE2 sailed up the Clyde to a big 40th birthday celebration - it was wet and miserable but everyone seemed to have good time. We played safe and watched the big ship from our window , as the kids had already seen the Red Arrows fly past earlier in the day.

We even had our own wee celebration in the house - a tea party, and although we used the good china it did resemble the Mad Hatters Tea party by the end. Still , there were homemade scones courtesy of my younger son, the older one just wanted to eat them!

I had to take plenty of photo's for my Dad, who used to work in the Clyde Shipyards , and who loves ships, so much so he was away on a cruise, and missed seeing the QE2 again. He's seen it twice, the first was away back in 1967, the second in 1992 when it visited for its 25th anniversary.

As everyone was enjoying the visit, tragic events were unfolding, and even now it is very difficult to take in what happened. On Wednesday 19th September 2007 , a local lad of fourteen , died after an altercation at his friends house, apparently between the father and his neighbour. This little town was in shock , and it is still and probably will be for some time . To lose one so young , so ready for life .... terrible .

So last Thursday there were two fond farewells, one to the last great ship that was Clydebuilt, and another to a wee boy who went to watch the football at his pals.

One Potato, Two Potatoes ....

Well I don't have pictures to prove it but we have some home grown potatoes - courtesy of my Father-in-Law. And they are part of tonights dinner! We also have some home grown courgettes, and they are part of tonights dinner too.

And here is the lovely Arisaig, doesn't it look lovely! And it is sooo soft, the yarn is wonderful .

And here is my latest project using the Colinette Parisienne - its a Drop Stitch sweater, using 4mm and 10mm needles.

A slightly better picture of the sock in progress - the green shades are starting to come through now .

And another picture of the Silk/Cashmere laceweight - gorgeous!

Had a mini-knitting session this morning, as Gale has to go to some Parent /Teacher Council this evening, she wanted to meetup during the day...AND.. I get to go to the Flavaknits group again tonight - amn't I spoiled! The benefits of having a child at Nursery - although I was up at the crack of dawn doing some housework and the usual school run thing!

Hippy Chick

Hope to have it finished by Christmas - not yet decided which Christmas though! I need to hide away to try and get some peace to knit, if its not children requiring attention , its folk in the cafe enquiring about what I'm knitting and that their granny used to do it, or , they have some long lost languishing project stuffed away.

So when I need a wee bit of some light knitting, I do this - a Giant Sock! No , its actually an adult sized one up close. Its Lana Grossa Mega Boots Stretch sock yarn in a blue/green/turquoise colourway. Lovely to knit with, I got this yarn at Fankle, when I went to visit Lilith and try on her gorgeous Arisaig sweater to see if it fitted. Long story short (actually it was short to start, but I digress!) Lilith knitted Arisaig, decided it was too fitted , and wanted to swap it. Fitted me, loved it, swapped it for some Posh Yarn vouchers . Photo's tomorrow when light is better .

And here is some Posh Yarn Laceweight in colourway cheeky - how could I resist - better photo's tomorrow. Its four hundred yards of Silk/cashmere mix yarn, a little stole for myself I think .

Was reading the Obituary today of Dame Anita Roddick, the Firebrand who started one of my favourite shops, the Body Shop . I actually found myself getting quite teary reading it.Here was someone who started a "green" business and blazed the path for others to follow (and sometimes better). Here was a mad Hippy Chick who took on the City pin-striped dinosaurs. Here was someone who set up charities and fought for rights for the many disadvantaged. Here was someone I truly admired .

I've always been a bit of a hippy chick at heart, I remember trying to persuade my boss that we should recycle office paper and equipment - his reply was there was no money in it. I said that we were destroying the environment for future generations - he said that he'd be dead and not care . I'm laughing now, cos wherever he works, he'll have to recycle ! She who laughs last, laughs longest .

Well, back to the knitting - try and get a round in before bed time!

Autumnal sunshine

Today was a glorious day, a local holiday too, so after the car was dropped off at the garage for a service we took the train to the kids softplay. Even at teatime this evening the sky was blue and the sun was beaming out its wonderful rays - take a look...

View from my sons' room - how come he got this room with that view, hhmmm.

Got two big washes out to dry - green halo looking good! Garden looking not too bad, but please don't look too closely.

Junior isn't feeling well - sore throat , hacking cough , bit "peaky" looking - didn't stop him running round and shouting like a maddie at the softplay, but made it very difficult to tidy his room ! Have decided to give in and knit for him and his brother again - Its a Sirdar Baby Bamboo pattern, but I'm using Rowan Cashsoft Double Knit - they just don't have the boy colours in John Lewis for the Bamboo, anyway I think the cashsoft will pass the "is it itchy?" test. Leaving out the sleeves this time and doing the sleeveless v-neck, well sleeves get in the way when you're a wee boy, who needs them.

Had a pull-back situation on the pinwheel sweater - OUCH! there were two small mistakes, one of them being a hole I couldn't fix, so rippit rippit back. I'm now back to the point where I was before I had to rip it back. Phew! I think Lynette and Elaine are way ahead of me, in fact last I heard, Lynette was on the arms, jings crivens , help ma boab! I think I've got a bit of catching up to do. Not looking forward to doing the i-cord finishing, as I've never tried it before and it seems as if it may take a long long time.

Still, onward and upward

Had a lovely knitting afternoon at the Tramway on Sunday. The 10k/half marathons were "running" on Sunday morning/afternoon and I thought I may get caught up in it. Fortunately all I saw was a solitary runner, several hundred plastic water bottles/plastic cups and a carpet of orange segments on the road! Apart from that , and the wait to order at the Tramway cafe (staff shortage!) , it was a pleasant afternoon. Gloria was crocheting "granny squares" , and had quite a stash of them when I arrived . Fiona was knitting something in a gorgeous raspberry red cotton with the most amazing sheen to it, she also pulled out a wrap she was knitting in Sirdar Sublime mohair - well named. Catherine was branching out and knitting a cardigan in Patons Moonspirit, in a lovely blue/pink colourway. Evelyn was knitting a lovely sweater, pattern from the previous Interweave knits magazine, the yarn was a gorgeous bottle green colour, but I can't remember what type (Rowan wool/cotton??) And me, I was working on the you-know-what!

When I got home, I worked out my current projects to be completed by winter (Ha ha ha), there is five and this does not include the several WIPS that get aired now and again. There is the Pinwheel sweater, DB astrakan hoodie, two sleeveless sweaters, colinette parisenne sweater. And I really would like to finish the kiddy print seater I started almost two years ago, but who knows.. Mind you compared to many of my knitting buddies, this is lightweight. Heather recently confessed to twenty five WIPS.

Yep, gotta lotta catching up to do!