One More Birthday Present Finished

I finally finished off the Esmee Cardigan by Sarah Francis that was in the Inside Crochet magazine Issue 13. It is not a pattern that I would recommend as had I not been experienced at jiggling about with patterns this would never have been finished. It's not just me who has this opinion. I wish that I had read the comments on Ravelry before I started it. I think that I would have chosen a different pattern had I read them. Considering I made this cardigan in DK instead of 4ply I expected it to come out larger than the pattern and not smaller. Luckily with a lot of wet blocking I am hoping that it will fit my ever shrinking (dieting) niece.



I had to make a much wider button band in an attempt to salvage the too narrow shoulders and too wide back from constantly sliding off the shoulders which seems to be a problem with those crocheters who followed the pattern. The cardigan would have looked much better with a narrower delicate band but at least I have given it stability. The armholes are still tight despite my adding 2 extra rows to each of the body pieces. In hindsight I should have added 4 extra rows and omitted the UK double crochet stitch around the armhole before I started the sleeves, There would have been more stretch if I had done UK trebles or started the sleeve pattern from the very first pattern row. I still might have to dab the armholes with the steam iron for some extra stretch underarm.



I do like the shape of the waistline but had to heavily wet block it to get it to be large enough to fit around my niece.




This is a close up of the pattern stitch which despite blocking does not look as openwork as the photo in the magazine. I am a loose crocheter and was using thicker yarn so I just cannot understand why this has come out so small. I do hope that it fits my niece when she calls to collect it. Thankfully crochet usually does 'give' with a couple of wears and a wash.

Last night I went to the Kings Arms Knit Club. The members are getting involved with some street furniture decoration with the Islington Mill Salford. Roger is making some green i cords to represent the stems and we are going to make crochet or knitted flowers. One of the members is going to show us how she makes leaves with paper next week. It involves paper, wool and a wool needle so I will show you when I have learnt how to make one. I will be in my stash oddment boxes looking for flower colours this week. Thank goodness I sorted them all out into see through storage boxes. At least it will use up some of the small amounts.

Buster Is A Bed Hog

I had a very broken sleep last night due to a big furry dog who insisted on lying next to me, on me and hogging the pillow. My son always says don't let him sleep on the bed but he always crept on the bed when he lived with me so it is a hard habit to break now. I just think that it's only for a couple of days and I can catch up with my sleep later. Sometimes he gets fed up with me as I toss and turn a lot and goes and sleeps in the spare room and then we both get a fairly good night's sleep.

As promised yesterday I have included a few photos from the 2 knitting books that I got yesterday. The Patons one has some jackets that I like. I quite like the multi way wrap as well but as I am short and stout I wonder if I would look like a badly tied paper parcel wearing one of those. They do look so smart on tall willowy women. I like the cardigan done in several different lace patterns as well. I am not going to start my sister in law's Christmas knitting until my niece has taken a look in the book and decided if she likes any of these patterns better than the one that we chose last week. She has a better idea of her Mum's taste.

The Turtleback jacket book is one for me really. They don't look that attractive but I find the shape so easy to put on in the house over a sweater when I get cold. Not having a long sleeve means that I can knit and do chores without having to push sleeves up out of the way. I like a couple of these patterns and will make myself one or two after Christmas when all of my Christmas present knitting and crocheting is finished. Until then I will be working the night shift to get everything finished in time. Every year I say that i will start earlier and every year I leave it until the last minute.

My knee seems to have got over it's hiccup of yesterday. The pain has subsided this morning and mobility is back to what it was. It really shocked me yesterday as I have been doing so well that I didn't expect such a painful set back. I can only think that I either twisted my knee as I got up from the chair or I had been sitting at a funny angle. I was hoping to have tried a short walk with Buster yesterday but decided to leave it and try today instead. I didn't want to push anything too far and regress in my physio.

I have almost finished one of my Christmas presents but I am afraid that photos will have to wait until after Christmas. I will only be able to show the projects of the people who I know don't read my blog. I am going to try to make another couple of Christmas tree ornaments for the knit club. I think that I may be able to go this coming week and as Rachael is starting to dress the tree on Monday I want to give her some more things as what we have already will look rather sparse on the tree. other people are starting to make some things for the tree so I hope that the tree looks nice and full when they are all finished and on the tree.

The weather is crisp and cold but dry. I have to walk up to the village today and will take Buster with me. It won't be the walk that he is used to but I don't want to chance a fall on the slippy ground in the woodland as everywhere is on a slope and will be full of wet leaves. Buster likes to come out with me even if we aren't going far. He will get a good walk once he gets home to the other dogs tomorrow. He gets plenty of exercise as the young dogs chase about all of the time and he tries to keep up with them. He doesn't do bad for a 10yr old dog. The vet said he was remarkably fit for his age at his last check up and vaccination.

Hither And Thither

I have been hither and thither over the last couple of days.On Friday the weather was truly awful but I did have to get some shopping in. I took my yellow plastic cape with me and when the heavens opened I looked like a big yellow duck flying down the street on my scooter. Well a 4mph fly that is. One guy said to me isn't the cape supposed to be keeping you dry and not get wrapped around the scooter as well. I didn't want my shopping to get wet so I draped the cape over me and the handles and basket. It worked quite well as apart from the rain on my face I did get home nice and dry.

I was searching through my crochet and knit books and magazines on Friday to find some ornaments to make for the Kings Arms Christmas Tree. My books are a higgeldy piddeldy mess as you can see and really need sorting. I can never get the Crochet Calendars back in their boxes neatly so they finish up in a messy pile as you can see. I didn't even get to look through the 4 boxes of loose patterns and magazines that I have stored. I got fed up after searching every mag and book.

I knitted a Snowman and a Father Christmas but there are no photos as yet as I gave them to Rachael as I didn't have any wadding to stuff them with nor am I much good with a needle when stitching up and embroidering tiny things.

Yesterday I went with Rachael (Artyarn) to the Islington Mill Salford to a knit and crochet session and made a crochet snowflake in silver metallic that turned out more the size of a doily. I have started making some Christmas tree shapes and I will take a photo of them before I give them in at the Kings Arms on Monday night. Rachael is going to embroider some snow on the trees when they are done.

In between all of this I have managed to finish off the back of Eve's jacket and have cast on the first front. Another part of my wool order from Purplelinda arrived on Friday and the new copy of Crochet Today arrived yesterday. The Bamboo cotton is for my niece's mother in law for Christmas.I have another two orders outstanding as I am trying to buy all of my yarns for Christmas projects ready for when I want to start.The Christmas crochet ornament book that I ordered is out of stock so I will have a wait a few days for that to arrive. I was counting on that coming as I have ordered some more metallic yarns for ornaments. I know that there are lots of free patterns on the net but as I don't have a printer at the moment I don't want to have to write them all down or sit in front of the PC crocheting and miss the TV programmes.

Today started off quite sunny and I got my washing ready but by the time the bedding has finished it had gone too dull to hang it out so it's now in the dryer.

Time for a coffee then a quick hoover and dust before I start another crochet Christmas Tree. I want to make a couple more things before I go to the Knit Club tomorrow.

No Sweat - It's Finished at Last

I finally finished off the No Sweat sweater by Doris Chan from her Everyday Crochet Book. I feel like it has been on the hook for ages but it was mainly because I ran out of wool and had to wait for more to arrive. In the end it took 7 x 100 gram balls of James C Brett Marble DK shade MT 11. I now have one ball left over but as I haven't yet tried on the finished sweater I may decide to add another inch on it. I will take more photos of me wearing it later. One sleeve isn't wider than the other by the way it's just the funny angle that I took that photo. I must admit then when I saw the photo I went back and checked. I had visions of unpicking it all again to remake a sleeve but all is well. I must have been standing on an angle instead of face on when I took the photo.

I have machine knitted the main part of a small red cardigan for Little Legs but I still have to hand knit the ribs and button band. I doubt that it will get finished off tonight as I am off out for a change. The Kings Arms Knitting Club is celebrating it's 3rd birthday tonight. We usually make a bit of a party of it and go out for a meal. Tonight we are going to the Thai Wu in Manchester. We went there last year and I really enjoyed it as it is a buffet and that enables me to try bits of different dishes. When I go out for a meal I usually stick to the same choices that I know I like rather than order a full meal and then find that I don't like it. Buffets give me a chance to sample different mouthfuls of different dishes. I do hope that they have shredded duck on pancakes as that is one of my favourites.

I have just been up to the Village on Pearl to pay the newspaper bill and get some money from the Bank for tonight's outing. I got blown about all over the place and that is no mean feat considering that I am not exactly a lightweight and nor is Pearl. I got back in the house just in time to see the plastic garden table and chairs getting flung all over the garden. I do hope that the wind dies down as I don't like it when it is very windy.

I was going to wear a top with my new trousers tonight but after being out in the wind I think that I will wear the Cinnabar cardigan instead. I am going by taxi but if I have to wait for a taxi on the way home I want to make sure that I am warm enough.

I will tell you more tomorrow. Hopefully I will remember to take my camera with me to record the Knit Club members enjoying themselves.

I Love Parcel Deliveries

I love it when the postman calls with parcels for me. Today I got my clothes order a day early. I have only taken a photo of my new ankle boots. I also bought 2 new bras (which I am not going to model) a couple of plain skirts and trousers. As I mentioned before they are very basic design but black and navy will be a great basic for a lot of the tops and sweaters that I already have. I got so sick of my old trousers being too tight on the legs as well as the waistband. These trousers are made of stretch material so have a lot of give on the knees when I sit down. I love the boots. They fasten with a Velcro touch fastening so are so easy to slip on. I had an introductory offer of 20% off everything for my first order which is why I ordered more than I would have done usually. Fifty Plus is a catalogue so I will be able to pay for my garments bit by bit over the coming months.

The Cinnabar hasn't progressed much since yesterday and I have a feeling that I will have to order another ball to finish it off. NancyLee I am using a pattern from the Everyday Crochet book by Doris Chan. I bought mine a couple of years ago through Amazon books and they have it in stock at the moment at a reduced price. In my opinion it is her best book so far. If you want to try a top down cardigan then Doris Chan has a free pattern on Ravelry called Lacy Top Cardigan in NY Yarns Cotton. Is very similar in design to the Cinnabar that I am making but has a more openwork pattern.

Once again I will express my thanks to my on line friends who leave me comments. Over the last few months they have been a life line to me just knowing that someone out there takes an interest in me and my work. It really has helped me through on my bad days. I tend to do my blog reading in blocks rather than every day so even though I don't always comment I do read your blogs.

My second delivery was Crochet Designs for girls and boys by Lucinda Guy. The patterns are very quirkily presented on cartoon type drawn figures rather than using real life models. It give the book an unusual twist to it. I have chosen some of the garments to put on my blog today. The rest of the patterns I will put on tomorrow. I love all the little accessories that make the pattern that bit more unusual. The sizes vary from age 2 up to age 6 yrs. I was expecting a delivery, a different pre ordered book and my waterproofs, so maybe I will have another nice surprise tomorrow.

I had a good time at the Kings Arms Knit Club last night. It's good to be able to have a chat with like minded people. I can't go next week as the pub doesn't open on Bank Holidays. My niece won't be able to take me down there once she goes back to work after the holidays so I will need to get a taxi when I want to go again. I didn't get a lot of crochet done but it doesn't matter as I go for the social atmosphere as much as anything.

I have finished off the bedrooms and hoovered the stairs and my front room but now I need 40 winks like an old biddie. My recliner is calling to me for a short snooze.

Shawlette after blocking

Although the shawlette looks better after blocking it really isn't long enough to wrap around and tie. I didn't write this pattern down as I had a feeling that it wasn't quite right. It is wearable so I won't unravel it. I think that I will need 3 x 50 grams to make another one or use finer wool. This one took 2 x 50 grams of Rowan Cashsoft DK. I might start a second one from edge to edge instead of point upwards in order to make it a better shape. I need to make another one before I try it out in some of my lovely sock wool that I have in stash. I would hate to get half way through and discover that one skein just isn't enough as some of my stash is hand dyed and one of a kind.

I went to the Kings Arms Knit Club last night and whilst it was great to see everyone there that I hadn't seen for a while the light in there is pretty dim for doing anything complicated. I started another baby knitted jacket as the back is in stocking stitch and I can more of less do that by heart without the need of a strong light. Once again I am using a golden oldie pattern and the wool is James C Brett DK. I think that Sylvia and I should have shares in James C Brett as we use it so often. Yes I know starting a baby jacket is an excuse for not starting the fine shawl but I really can't concentrate and chat at the same time especially in poor lighting.

I was surprised today to get a visitor. Sue rang to say that she was calling around. I like her visits as she is a crochet fanatic like me and we have a real crochet chat whenever she calls around. I show her my new pattern books and she makes me jealous with all the gorgeous wool that she is making shawls with. Today's wool was shaded, slightly fluffy with a hint of gold lurex in it. She had bought one ball each of 5 different shades. One was blue, one pink, one green the other beige/brown shaded. I have forgotten what the other shade was. One ball makes a small shawl and she paid about £5 a ball so it would make lovely economical shawls for ladies for Christmas. Yes I know the C word. But it really isn't that far away if you have a big family to crochet and knit for.

Apparently Sue has found this mill that sells such gorgeous wool at really reasonable prices so I am looking forward to one day going with her for a browse around. We were going to go yarn browsing after my op but I am trying to persuade her to go before my op as it could be September or October before I go in and I could be in a worse state afterwards to go yarn shopping. I really would like to get some nice wool in stock for my Christmas presents. Yes I know that I have a large stash of my kind of plainish wool but this is special wool for presents.

I am not sure if I will start the shawl tonight but as it is 8pm already and I want to watch a bit of TV I may wait until the daylight to get the pattern started and set in my mind. I like to start a pattern that I have not used before when it is quiet and the TV is off. I find that I can concentrate and count much better then.

I think that my postman must be on strike as I haven't even had any junk mail since Thursday. No mail at all is very unusual for me and I haven't even seen him on the street. I will probably get a huge pile of post tomorrow now I have said this.

Kings Arms Knit Club 2nd Anniversary

I took some mindless garter stitch knitting with me to the Knitting Noras Knit Out on Sunday as I have learned that I can't do an aran pattern and chat at the same time. This blanket is more of a pram or bassinet size 25" x 25". I used 200 grams of James C Brett Quick and Easy Fashion Chunky. Rather a misnomer as far as I am concerned as I had to switch my needles to wooden ones and change the size. With plastic needles the yarn made static and it stuck to the needles making it very slow going indeed. The second ball worked up better than the first as I managed to find the centre pull. I don't know why but I aways find yarn easier to use from the centre. I cast on 60 sts with 6 1/2mm needles. I decided to edge it in white crochet as it looked rather unfinished with just a plain garter stitch edge. I crocheted a circle and added ears to make some kind of animal. I think I was aiming for a Teddy Bear shape. I have not decided which of the baby boys will be the recipient of this blanket. I do have several more balls in the same wool and colour so I can make a second blanket although I may change the pattern stitch to something a little more interesting than boring garter stitch.

I have finished the back of Charlie's second aran jacket. I am making a 20-22 this time hoping that with the smaller size and less intricate pattern I will have enough yarn as I had slightly less than a half 400 gram ball left from his last jacket.

Buster is here and has settled in nicely. I didn't get any sleep last night as not only was my knee aching I had forgotten what it is like too share a bed with a bull boxer who likes to sleep spread out across the bed. His favourite position is with his head tucked in the crook of my neck breathing loudly in my ear which as you can imagine isn't conducive to a good night's sleep. He is, at the moment, ridding my sofas of every cushion so the front room looks like a pillow fight. He has a hatred of cushions and perceives them as enemies to be dealt with at all cost. He banished the throws to the floor within 10 mins of his arrival. Hopefully he will sleep whilst I am out. I managed to walk him this afternoon and he went back into his normal routine of stick throwing followed by a half hour in the stream chewing the same stick to shreds. No matter how long the gap is between his visits to me he follows the exact same pattern and the same timing as when he lived here.

Tonight I am going to the Kings Arms Knit meeting. As it is the 2nd anniversary of it's conception we are going to a Chinese Banquet instead of to the Kings Arms tonight. I don't think that I will be taking my knitting there unless I decide to start another mindless pram blanket. I doubt if much aran knitting will be done tonight.

Charlie's Aran Cardigan is Finished

I have finished Charlie's aran cardigan. I weighed the rest of the ball and I think there is just about enough to make another jacket or a sweater if I chose a less dense pattern stitch. The yarn is Woolcraft Aran 400 gram ball and 100% Courtelle. I appear to have used just a fraction over half of the ball on this jacket so I hope that I have enough for a second garment. The colour is slightly darker than it appears on my photos and is more of a light navy blue.

The Naked Knitting calendar continues to be well supported on Ravelry forums for which we are very grateful and Deb has chatted to the lady who owns Stash yarn shop and she wants 50 copies to sell in her shop and online for us. She has agreed to give us the full amount of each calendar price which is brilliant considering that banking charges would occur if anyone pays by credit card or Paypal as both of these charge a fee for their services. Bev and her husband have been a terrific team selling loads of copies so well done to them also. If sales continue in this way then we will be ordering a reprint soon! Stash don't as yet have any copies for you to buy so at the moment they are only available through our web site and listed shops in the Horwich area with one London outlet. Click on the blog title to keep up with the latest news about the Knitting Noras.

I am going up to Bolton tomorrow for our regular monthly Sunday Knit Out at the Costa Coffee. I missed the last one as I was away on the mystery weekend for my neighbour Julie's 40th birthday. Remember the mystery was ending up in battle scarred Hull? When I come back home Buster is arriving for a week. So next week I will be able to say that I am sleeping with a boxer! Don't all get too excited. I haven't found a Prince Charming. Buster is a boxer cross who is the family dog. Sometimes he lives with me but mostly with my son and daughter in law and their other dog these days as since my back and knee operations I haven't been able to care for him walk wise. I don't think it's fair to keep an animal and not exercise it regularly.

My knitting has been going wonderfully well since I changed from the energy saving bulbs to normal light bulbs. I have got an angle poise desk lamp but I find that the halogen bulb gets extremely hot and the light is so bright that it hurts my eyes as well as burning my hands if the lamp is angled over them.I have joked that I will buy a miner's helmet with a light on it especially for when I go to the Kings Arms Knit Club as the light is rather dim in the snug and I can only knit or crochet very light colours in there.

I am off to delve once more into my pattern stash to find another pattern for Charlie to use up the rest of the navy wool. I will start something for Fynnlay James after that but he does have plenty clothes at the moment so there is no rush for him. I have some pale blue Hayfield chunky that I might make another blanket with for him.

Sweet Pea just Needs to be Fringed

The Sweet Pea Shawl is finished and just needs fringing. I have made this pattern so many times in the past and still love it. I have no doubt that I will make it many more times in the future as I have never actually made one for myself.

The 4 ply baby knitting is carrying on slowly and I have now finished the back of the white cardigan. After some discussion with my niece we both decided that we like the wrong nubbly side (last photo) better than we like the ribbed right side so I think this cardigan will be made up inside out. Not the first time that I have done that with a pattern I might add.

Yesterday I received a lovely present of some very old baby crochet patterns. I won't say who from as although the patterns are so old that they have long ago gone out of copyright there will always be someone who will jump on the case saying photocopying is banned etc. I do object to being asked on Ravelry for free copies of my patterns that are still available for sale. I simply point out to them where I bought the book from and leave it at that. We all have in our possessions treasured patterns that could have been our mothers or grandmothers and I see no harm in photocopying those. I will no doubt get shot down in flames for even suggesting such a thing but how else are people supposed to get copies? I know that very occasionally there are some in charity shops and on E Bay but that chances of picking up a popular old pattern are virtually zero. Anyway thanks a million to my friend for the patterns. I really appreciate them as the oldies are the goodies (and I am not describing either of us with that remark :) ) There is something about the vintage crochet baby patterns that doesn't exist in the modern day ones.

Last night I had a great night out at the Kings Arms Knit Club in Salford. My niece has been giving me a lift but next week will be the last time that I can get a lift. Ah well I can only hope that someone else is passing my way in the future as I really do not like waiting for a bus outside Salford Station alone in the dark on my way home. It is such a shame that one can't feel safe in ones own city after dark. I will have to concentrate on winning the lottery so I can afford to get another car. Is it too late to learn to ride a motorbike? I could maybe afford the insurance and road tax on one of those. I think I will be more of a fat lady with a sidecar, or Wallace and Gromit than a leather clad Honor Blackman or Joanna Lumley as in the Avengers. The Kings Arms is not only the host to our Knit Club but also holds drama events upstairs in it's function room. I have been told that their plays are very good. They also sell m any varieties of real ale and obscure beers for the connoisseur.

I am off to another osteo session today. My knee seems to have reached a level now and I don't think there will be much more improvement except to use it more and strengthen the muscles. The family have said I should seriously consider having the new knee and should concentrate on getting my weight down again so that they will operate as the success rate improves greatly the less strain (weight) that is put on it after the operation.

Back to Rain Again

I am so glad that I chose to spend as much time as I could outside yesterday as I woke up to rain again this morning. I was toying with the idea of giving the grass another mow and trimming the hedge today if it had stayed fine but the rain came. What a shame I can't do it and now I will just have to do some housework instead. No - wait a minute I will have to knit or crochet instead. I did the housework last week I don't want to get too houseproud do I? I will just settle for a quick runaround with the hoover instead.

I have made another Baby It's Cold Outside. I am working my way through my oddments slowly but surely. This jacket may be a bit small for it's intended little person but as Sylvia fosters I am sure it will come in handy for her next little foster person.Sylvia, I will cure you of your stripe hatred one day. Sorry but I had to stripe it as I was running out of wool. I only had 100 grams of Patons Diana and the jacket needs about 150 grams.

The 4ply baby knitting hit a stop. I found that I was not enjoying the pattern stitch. It was one of those patterns where I felt I was making a lot of effort for something that just didn't show. I knew that it would be destined for the never to be finished WIP basket so I unpicked it and started it in a different easier to remember stitch. The baby's mum doesn't knit and hasn't seen the pattern so she will be none the wiser. I decided long ago only to knit and crochet things that gave me pleasure. If a pattern starts to really annoy me and I know I won't finish it then back it comes and I use the yarn for something else. Life is too short to make things I don't enjoy.

My friend's baby girl still hasn't put in an appearance. Her Daddy texted me and said they had a check up on Friday and she is showing no signs of being ready to be born, despite being overdue, and is fine and healthy. I think the hospital are going to revue the situation today as she is now about 12 days overdue. I won't get too see her for a while as they live in Liverpool now.

I am hopefully going to the Kings Arms Knit Club tonight and must take my needles with me as I have to knit the letter Y for a knitted poem. I got the pattern last week but as my stash didn't have any 100% wool DK in two colours I have not been able to start my letter. Rachael has got some wool for me so I can start tonight. I can't wear wool(except on my feet) so my stash only contains oddments of pure wool in sock thickness.

ETA - I have just had a text from Daddy - Veronica has made her appearance very late last night weighing in at 4.41KG so it's a good job that none of my cardigans are small! Mum, Dad, Baby and Big Sister are all doing well.

Wanders away to covert 4.41KG into pounds!

Sweet Pea Shawl finished and fringed

The sweet pea shawl for Bev is finished and fringed. It has taken 8 x 50 grams Jaeger Cotton DK. I had to try to photograph it in between the rain showers as today is yet another miserable Manchester day so sorry about the quality of the photos today.

Last night's filming at the Kings Arms was a laugh. The BBC film crew were certainly not as good as the ones who filmed the Knitting Noras last week. It was two ladies. A camerawoman and a fluffer (I kid you not that is what she described her job as). The fluffer got to ask the questions and let's just say her job title was very apt. She could not get her head around whether we were knitting or crocheting despite being told knitting has two needles and crochet has a single short stick with a hook. She would start off - "So what are you knitting?" to be told well actually I am crocheting! She got everyones names wrong despite asking first. At the end of the interviews and filming we got told that we will be on North West Tonight for one minute fifty seconds but she didn't know when it was going to air! I wasn't one of the few who were interviewed so if you do happen to see the clip then look out for a flash of blue as that was the colour of my sweater. I would love to know how she got her job as a fluffer as I can think of quite a few people,Charlie for one, who would have made a far more professional job of the interviews than she did.

There is a bit of doubt as to when the "Calendar Girls 10 yrs on " is airing. We had been told a date but Bev has now found out that Ashes to Ashes is showing in the TV slot supposed to be allocated to us. Bev is going to find out when we will be on so I will update you when I find out.

Today I will return to Deb's shawl that I put away when Buster was here. His hair didn't stick to Bev's cotton but would have turned Deb's wool into mohair!