Crochet shrug finished

I have returned momentarily to my crochet. I have finished off the short and sweet shrug from the Stitch n Bitch The Happy Hooker book. I have made adaptations to the pattern but still think that the garment is a little bulky looking for my taste. I had made the garment previously for my niece using a lovely linen type yarn but for this one I just used cheap acrylic DK. I made the largest size but on a 4mm hook. The width came out OK but I had to add more pattern rows to the armholes and then add a complete pattern under the arms to give a bit more bust room. I then worked a lot more pattern rows to make the length that I wanted as a shorty shrug just isn't me. I can foresee some more pattern adaptations ahead to work it out in 4ply? I think it would make a lovely summer shrug in a finer yarn.

I am still knitting my socks. I have completed the leg portion of the second sock ( My last post about my first sock and showing the pictures seems to have disappeared from my blog - showing in my archives though) and my tension has improved greatly so much so that I will now have 2 odd socks! My niece was ordering from Angel yarns because I have tempted her into the realms of sock knitting and she has ordered for me some Addi bamboo set of 5 needles and 2 balls of Opal sock yarn that is on sale. I love the other yarns that they sell for socks but the prices are just way too expensive for my pensioner's pocket. I only ordered because she was ordering and paying the postage for her order. I would order more on line but I think the postage charges are way too high. I will just have to search for a wool shop that sells sock wool locally and I can use my free bus pass to go and collect. When I order knitting and crochet books I use Amazon because if I order more than £15 then I can choose the postage free option. I don't mind if my order takes a few days longer to arrive.

My garage is almost cleared. I have advertised the timber that I no longer want on Freecycle and Emma and her boyfriend are supposed to be calling around on Sunday to collect it all. My car has now returned from the repair shop. it has passed its MOT so is good to go for another 12 months hopefully so yesterday I took the bags of old loft lagging from the garage to the dump. All I have left to do now is to persuade my son to come and take the bits and pieces of motor bike that he has stored in the garage and I will be ready for the builders to put a new roof and doors on. It will be nice to have some dry storage for the lawn mower etc and also I will be able to use the garage as an entrance to my house on wet muddy days when I walk the dog. At the moment I have to try to take my shoes off and grab the dog for paw wiping in a hallway the size of a postage stamp!