Cable and Textured Coat Finished

My first Christmas present is completed. This jacket is for my niece. It is from the booklet 339 Winter Glamour by Sirdar. There are two versions of the pattern, one long and one short. This is the longer version and took 18 balls of Sirdar Click Colour 0126 Merlot.We bought the wool from the Yarn Barn in Shaw. As you can see the sleeves are a little long on me but my niece has much longer arms and is a couple of sizes slimmer so it will fit her better than it does me..

I am still knitting the striped sweaters for Charlie and Finlay. I have finished the larger one but not yet stitched it together and have now started work on the smaller sweater.

Thanks to Bev for her pattern suggestions for my other niece's jacket. I have forwarded them on to her along with a couple more suggestions and am awaiting a reply as to which,if any, she prefers. Until them I will continue with my smaller knitting and perhaps start a bit of crochet.I believe that she wants a neutral colour this time which will be a welcome change from her usual black.

Yesterday my son met me at the supermarket and helped me to choose a new TV. My old TV decided to give up on me. Hardly surprising as it was about 15 yrs old. The picture was fine but the sound went and so it was like watching silent movies. I haven't gone mad and got one of those cinema sized screens. In fact my son informed me that the one I have bought is the same as the one they had in the caravan! Ah well small is beautiful so they say. Anyway I read that the large flat screens are a magnet for thieves so if they see my small TV they will hopefully feel sorry for me and leave me alone. My son bought me a Freeview box for my birthday, which is later this month, and he decided to give it to me early and set it up at the same time that he was sorting out the TV.

Ultimate MeMe Award

As I mentioned on Friday I had the honour of being awarded a MeMe award by Queen Belicious whose blog I follow regularly. She is a lovely person who struggles with problems that I can identify with but manages to keep a sense of humour. Once again I have used my blog title to link to her blog.


So, this is how it goes

Protocol

1/ Accept award by posting on this post on my blog. Then post on your blog regarding your award with a link to the name of the blog giving it (http://mycrochettherapy.blogspot.com/) and then post a copy of your award.

2/ Pass the award on to five bloggers of your choice (or not if your prefer).

3/ Post links to your nominees in your post, and let them know by leaving a message in their comments box.

4/ Meme: choose 5 random categories and post and tell us 5 favourite things from these categories.

The choice for me was hard as I follow a lot of blogs so I have just chosen some that I have been following recently. I would award one to Queen Belicious but as she nominated me then it would just go around in a circle. Consider yourself awarded Bea if not named. Some people like the Panopticon and Crafty Andy I would feel too in awe to nominate although I would love to do so. Andy because of his lovely posts and videos and wonderful hat designs and Franklin for making me laugh on a daily basis on Panopticon with his tales of Dolores the Sheep and Harry the Sock yarn. I would also love to give Doris Chan an award as she is so inspirational and helpful on her blog and Ravelry but as she is up there with the Gods I would not dare. Some people I would love to give an award to but they don't have a blog. C'mon June and my other regular commenters - you know who you are! Get Blogging.

My awards are

1. Ambermoggie - whose Mog's Blog always has interesting photos, poems and projects. She overcomes a lot of problems on a daily basis and manages to stay on top of things despite being in great pain. The award also goes to Mr Mog for overcoming his health issues and being so inventive with his woodworking.

1. Zuleika - Life in the Zu - who has become a good friend through her blog and the net despite us living at opposite ends of the country. Her crochet enthusiasm is on a par with mine.

3. Antevasin - aka Knitnurd - who has become a great friend on Ravelry and helped me through many a bad time. She knits a lot for charity and makes some wonderful garments,

4. Beverooni - who I swap many crochet ideas with and read her blog for the crochet and recipe updates. She is inspirational with her projects and patterns and her advice to me when I have a down day. I seem to have lost the link to her blog One Yarn After Another but I will post it as soon as I find it.
ETA - Thanks Bev for the link I have added it to my links under Beverooni. Your latest post is very funny.


5. ArtYarn - this is a blog of Rachael and Sarah founder members of the Kings Arms Knitters. I love this blog as they manage to find interesting examples of art and crochet from all over the net and are always involved in charity projects and communal projects such as the Knit a Square for a poem, Knit a sweater for a shed , street crochet and are covering a balcony with knitted strips at the Art centre.

You will have to look at these blogs via the links on my page as I haven't quite mastered the art of putting links on here yet.


Music

1.Andrea Bocelli
2.Black - It's a Wonderful Life
3.Blake Shelton - Good Morning Beautiful
4.Il Divo
5.Backstreet Boys - Show me the meaning of being lonely

Favourite Places

1.Manchester - it's my home town and I love it's history and beautiful buildings.
2.My home - not a palace by any means but I feel so comfortable here
3.York for it's history and magnificent atmosphere.
4.The Yorkshire Dales on a summer's day
5.The sea shore in a secluded place. I love to watch the waves and hear the seagulls

Things I would do but have never done

1.Go on a cruise to the West Indies
2.Visit India
3.Go on a crochet workshop weekend in the USA where they have such fabulous courses.
4.Have a manicure, pedicure and massage on a health spa weekend.
5.Visit the USA

Things I could not live without

1.Crochet hooks and knitting needles.
2.CPAP machine - as I have sleep apnoea
3.Wool Stash
4.My massive collection of knit and crochet patterns
5.Dark rum and coke now and then.

Favourite crochet designers

1. Doris Chan - for all of her patterns
2, Angela "LaVonne" Best for her short n sweet bolero
3. Amie Hirtes - Sweet Pea shawl
4. Candi Jensen for her fabulous babies and childrens patterns
5. Mary Jane Hall for some unusual designs.


Gosh I found that harder than writing my normal blog! Back to the real world. I have started the chunky jacket in Sirdar Click for my niece and have knitted a couple of balls into the back and knitted part of a sleeve to see how the wool spins out.

I have started some jazzy socks for me with the Regia 6ply but even though I measured the wool sequences carefully my two socks will not quite be the same. One sock has a lovely pattern that reminds me of waves and the other does. not. Good job they will be inside my shoes. I am not a person who is precious about socks. I can't see the point of spending hours on some fancy pattern only for it to get put inside my shoes and not seen. Socks are a necessity to me not a fashion statement. Give me a plainish pair and some normal machine washable wool in a pretty colour and I am happy. I don't want to spend 4 weeks of my life on a complicated pattern only to have to hand wash and de bobble them as it is made from some exclusive expensive yarn that is more to be admired than to be worn and rubs into a hole at the mere sight of a pair of winter boots.

Yarn Shopping in Shaw

I have just got home from a trip to Shaw to visit the Yarn Barn. It is a lovely shop and I could spend all day in there and probably spend all of my pension but fortunately today I was shopping with my niece who was buying wool and pattern for her Christmas jacket. She has chosen a long line car coat in a rich maroon shade knitted in Sirdar Click. We didn't manage to find a pattern quite like the jacket my other niece has seen but I can be making this present until we find that.

I took a photo of the shop window but unfortunately there is a lot of back shine so you can't seen the wonderful display that Sirdar has done in the window. Really tempts you in to buy the patterns and wool. Sirdar used to do my windows from time to time when I had my shops and it was always a crowd puller. I could spend all day in the shop browsing patterns on their squashy sofas. All that is missing is a good cup of coffee but if they laid that on then people would never leave.

My purchases were small as you can see. Three crochet patterns, a couple of balls of wool for baby Finlay James and the stuff that you always need. Black and white cotton, sewing needles and a chunky cable needle for the car coat. The cardigan in Lyscordet might get made up one day using a box of black Lyscordet that I still have in my stash from my own wool shop days.

The All Shawl has grown a bit more but as it is in 4ply and on a 4mm hook it is taking a lot longer than the previous shawls that I have made. I have started the 2nd baby cardigan but will wait until all of the pieces are made to stitch them together and make the frilled edging.

There was a lovely old fashioned butcher's shop in Shaw so I bought a pork chop for tonight's dinner and a couple of chicken breasts for tomorrow's dinner. It is lovely to see a successful butchers where all the stock looks so clean and fresh. It was like shopping in a farmer's market.