'SPECIAL' DELIVERY!

Hello there! The weeks do seem to be flying by, don't they? It only seems like yesterday since I was last here. It's been another very busy week at school and not too much knitting has been done, but that's working life and hopefully, what I do, in some small way, helps the world go round! It's been a very exciting end of the week for me though. Would you like to know why?

Well, first of all let me show you my finished 'Single Scoop Ice-cream Sorbet Bag'. I made this one with the leftover yarn from my giant-sized 'triple scoop' version that I showed you here . I used the same pattern, but made it much smaller by only crocheting 10 rounds for the base. It's going to be used for something very, very special. Here it is .....




This morning, Mr Snoopydog and I wandered down into the city centre for an al fresco coffee, whilst the weather is still behaving so beautifully. We caught up on the week and on the way home stopped off at John Lewis and made some very 'special' purchases. Not that I need any more yarn, you understand! But this was very 'special' yarn for a very 'special' purpose. It was bought with three 'specially' chosen patterns in mind; patterns that were very carefully chosen on the 'special' evening of Thursday, September 24th! They could all be made in this colour or that colour, but definitely NOT this colour or that colour. It was even more 'SPECIAL' that Mr Snoopydog offered to pay for the yarn! Have you guessed anything yet? Well, what do you think is in the newly finished 'special purpose' bag?



Have you guessed.....?



Of course....... it's all those 'special' purchases; those woolly 'special' purchases and some other 'special' bits and pieces too. Have you noticed the pretty ribbon and beautiful little star-shaped shell buttons ? There's a BIG clue in there as well! I wonder if you've spotted it. It wasn't deliberate, it was just how the ball of yarn chose to lay in the bag!

I bought some other delicious little buttons too. They are so sweet!







The teddy buttons do look cute in real life, honestly! Maybe I shouldn't have photographed them so close up! They do look quite scary up there don't they! Don't pass judgement though, until you see them on the finished garment. If they don't look good, don't worry, I'll change them! Everything has to be just perfect!

Well, I haven't got anything else to show you. I have the patterns chosen and the yarn bought and the buttons matched and the the ribbon waiting ................ for.............. some 'special' little person. I can't even begin to tell you how 'special' it felt to be choosing or how long it took to choose or how carefully I carried my 'specially' chosen purchases to the counter to pay............ or how my head seems to be permanently full of 'SPECIALNESS'!

Have you guessed?

Did you spot my clue, on the 'BABY' Cashmerino label?

Well, in case you didn't ...... and in case you're not sure 'exactly what' and in case you 'got the wrong end of the stick' and in any case ......... well, just to give you the answer ........... guess what ................. I'M GOING TO BE A GRANDMA!!!!!!

P.S. I never, ever, thought it would feel so amazingly, fantastically, emotionally, ecstatically, every minutely...... 'SPECIAL'!

P.P.S. I'll tell you what I'm making with my 'specially' chosen yarn in my next post. I might even have some progress to show you.

For now, I'm just basking in 'SPECIALNESS' inside both my head and my heart! :D

SUNNY SEPTEMBER SOCK SATURDAY........

Wow! What an absolutely beautiful September day it's been here in Norfolk. It's been a busy week at school and I had a very hectic Thursday and Friday evening, getting the house clean and tidy, washing, ironing etc. in complete anticipation of the weather forecast getting it right and giving us some sunshine.

Hooray! That little weather satellite way up high DID get it right and I have just come in from spending nearly the whole day knitting and pottering in the garden. Just in case the sun never shines again this year, you understand! It has been blissful and so, so peaceful as I have sat and reminisced about the fun I had last Saturday, up in London for the 'I-Knit Weekender', with Josiekitten. What fun we had! Today has been much more restful, but still fun ...... in a different kind of way. I've taken time to be stunned by the beauty of the flowers still hanging on in there in the garden and to smile at these beautiful Autumn crocuses. Every year, they catch me unawares and I don't seem to notice them until they are almost shouting at me! Aren't they pretty!


There were still a few luscious strawberries awaiting me too!



Whilst I sat, I managed to finish my 'Yorkshire Wavy Socks' at long last. I had nothing against them, I just seemed to be suffering from a little bit of second sock syndrome; it took a turn for the worse a couple of weeks ago, when the socks accompanied misssnoopydog2 and myself to London on the train. Rather than improving the situation, I made matters worse, with several silly errors (too much nattering whilst 'on the job'!), which resulted in sock number two being shorter than it was before the journey began. So, it was quickly banished to the 'bad sock bag' (I know, I'm a mean woman!) until this afternoon, when the sun came out to play and I knew it was time ........ ta da!



They fit really well and I just love the pattern because it's so easy to memorise. I gave you details in a previous post here.

As late afternoon drew to a close, Mr Snoopydog returned from his allotment with fresh beetroot to cook and carrots for lunch tomorrow ......


They may not win 'Best in Show', but they sure do taste good!



With dusk fast approaching, I came indoors to meet you! What a beautiful early evening sky it was! Now there's just time to get on with a bit more 'September Sunday Swing' sock knitting and a sneaky bit of 'Strictly.....' watching, whilst I await Mr Snoopydog's return from the gym. Then it's over to our local for a swift pint of Real Ale.

What a perfect way to spend a September Saturday ........... according to SNOOPYDOG! :D

Catch up again soon!

'I-KNIT' ...... LONDON!

Hello again! Welcome back! I can't believe another weekend has flown by and a new week is getting ready to begin. It's been a busy and very enjoyable one for me. Hope you've had a good one too!

Friday evening was spent excitedly checking I had everything ready that I would need to take with me on Saturday morning. What did I need ......
- my small camera, to make sure I got lots of photos to show you
- some lunch, so we didn't waste too much browsing time
- my saved up 'yarn fund' ( £1 for every ball of yarn knitted this year!) + extra :D
- a small, simple project for the train journey (plain socks to show off a very pretty yarn)
- some yarn and needles for afternoon workshop with Woolly Wormhead
- train tickets, safely stored!
All done!

Saturday morning dawned and my great friend Josiekitten arrived bright and early. A last check on tickets and knitting and off we went. I love travelling by train and the two hour journey to London was gone in no time, as we chatted and caught up with each other's news. These are the socks I started for the journey.


It's the yarn I showed you last time. I love the colours, they look so pretty together. An important lesson was learnt and acted upon after my train journey a week or so ago, when I came home with less sock that I had gone with! NOT a very satisfactory situation, I'm sure you'll agree. This time though, progress was made; although I do find it very difficult to keep knitting whilst I chat and look out of the window and drink a rather large cardboard cup of coffee.

After a rather overpriced taxi ride, we finally arrived at Royal Horticultural Halls in Westminster for the second day of the 'I-Knit Weekender 2009'. We spent the morning browsing up and down each aisle and trying very hard to be selective with our purchasing. That's extremely difficult, when at every turn there is so much deliciously scrumptious yarn to touch and fondle! It was an absolute knitter's heaven! Lots of the on-line shops had a stand and you could even try your hand at 'big knitting', using giant sized needles and thick strips of fabric. Here you are, our day ....


So much fabulous colour, so much delicious softness and so many new ideas for things to make or try.

In the afternoon we took part in Woolly Wormhead's hat design workshop, which was great fun. I don't quite have a hat to show you yet, but I feel Iknow a little bit more about how to begin designing my own! Hopefully I will be able to remember all I learnt and soon show you the finished product. It's to be a beret! I don't wear hats of any shape or form, but I'm sure I will find a welcoming head for it. Here's progress so far, after we had checked head measurements, calculated the stitches, worked out a pattern for the main body and written the first part of our pattern .......


I had gone with no real plan of what to buy, except maybe to find hand-dyed sock yarns that I hadn't tried before. After that, it was whatever begged to be brought home. Here's what I chose...

They are ... going across..... 1. DI4U 2.'Skein Queen' small balls 3.'Natural Dye Studio' DazzleHT sock 4.'Skein Queen' sock 5.'Artisan Yarns' sock - for dyeing 6.'Schoppelwolle's' Crazy Zauberball 7.'Natural Dye Studio' DazzleHT 8.'Malibrigo' lace 9.All my little purchases together! Scrummy!

Amongst yarns bought that I hadn't seen before, were delicious hand-dyed yarns by the 'Skein Queen' , Debbie Orr. Her colours are really beautiful. I had to buy one or two from one of my favourites too. 'The Natural Dye Studio' uses exclusively historical plant dyed to create totally scrumptious subtle colourways. One or two of the photos above show crotcheted items from their stand. I just adore their yarn! It knits up beautifully and washes well too. I also treated myself to some pretty Malibrigo laceweight, which I think will become an Aeolian beaded shawl. It's the beautiful yarn on the bottom row.

We met the contingent of Dutch Knitters and marvelled at some of their beautiful brioche colour work, whilst enjoying their delicious Stroopwafels and chocolates!


The day finished at 6pm and we made our way back to catch the 7pm train for home. It really was a fabulously relaxed and enjoyable day out with great company!! Can't wait for next year.

Today, by comparison, has been extrememly lazy and I still havent finished my planning for school, so I think I really out to say 'goodbye' and wish you all a happy week! See you next time!

BAGGING SOME EXTRA TIME!

Hello again! What a relaxing weekend I've had, just pottering about and recovering from the shock of the first two days back at school .... minus children, may I add! How worring is that! I was well and truly shattered by the time Friday evening arrived. I think it's all that having to 'think on your feet' and 'multi-tasking' business. It wears you out after a very laid back and leisurely meander through the summer holidays. Anyway, I'm all planned and ready to have fun with my new class of seven year olds tomorrow and I even have a little bit of time left to come and say 'hello' to you.

I guess I was probably extra tired, because I made the most of my last day of holiday last Wednesday and accompanied my youngest daughter on a visit to London, to attend her MSc Graduation ceremony at UCL. It began at 6.45pm, so by the time we had celebrated with a glass of Pimms, jumped in a taxi to the railway station and arrived back home, it was midnight. It was well worth every little, last bit of tiredness though, because we had a really great day, mooching through the streets of London and being typical tourists as we snapped away at the sights. Anyone might have mistakenly thought we had never been to London before! Here's a quick little taster of some of our day ........ it was a lovely mother and daughter day!


So, not much knitting done this week I'm afraid. I did take my 'Yorkshire Wavy Socks' to get on with, but put me on a train and I just gaze at whatever passes by. Combine that with a very talkative daughter and the result is not much knitting. In fact the sock regressed rather than progressed; I made several errors, before giving up and banishing my sock to the 'naughty bag'!

This morning, Mr Snoopydog and I sauntered down into the city centre for an al fresco coffee. I love sitting outside with the sun shining (as it was) and watching the world go by. On the way home, I picked up some more of my favourite Amy Butler fabrics from John Lewis and as soon as we had lunched, I set to work on these little sock project bags. I've no idea why!!! I certainly hadn't planned to spend my afternoon sewing, but that's how I like my weekends to be ...... pootling about and creating and enjoying whatever comes my way! These were very easy to make and I guess I may be making a few more for Christmas pressies. Hmmm! I don't know THAT many sock knitters to give one to; just one or two!!! SMILE! Never mind, I'm sure others will find a different and nearly as useful a purpose for their little baggy gift. Maybe Mr Snoopydog could keep his seeds in one. Now I need to stop, because the ideas popping into my head are getting far too silly for a Sunday evening, when I should be practising feeling like a teacher again. What do you think? What would you use one of my little bags for?

Oh, I must just mention ..... I received a lovely holiday gift yesterday, from my great friend Josiekitten. It was something soft and squishy that I had desired for quite a while, but my searching for it in the UK had proved fruitless. I don't have time to show you tonight, but I'll make sure I remember next time. I feel very fortunate to have such a kind and thoughtful friend. Thank you Josiekitten!

Well, wish me luck! I always get nervous and worry about my first week back. I don't know why, because everything's always fine. It's just that little niggle that says, 'what if .......' Here I go, off on a worry track again. I'm going to say 'goodnight' and enjoy my glass of red Rioja before a reasonably early night. Have a good week everyone!