RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY!...............

The weekeend started off beautifully, with a warm breeze, sunshine and a BLUE sky. That was yesterday! Today.... strong wind and RAIN, RAIN, RAIN! No point planning to do too much today then. Still, that means Sunday afternoon spent in hibernation mode on the sofa. My schoolwork is done, housey jobs complete and so that just leaves a little bit of blogging and knitting time :)

 I've tried to make sure that I have completed at least a little knitting each evening this week. That's manageable, as long as I don't also spend time browsing on the internet. There is always some schoolwork to do in the evenings, however organised I try to be. This weeek there was the added excitement of knowing that the 'Through the Loops' sock KAL would be beginning on 1st October. Yarn and needles were at the ready................ click and away we go. Only the first part of the pattern has been released thus far; the cuff! It's quite strange to be knitting an unknown pattern, but also quite exciting to see what appears. Here's what has appeared so far....

I've gone as far as I can go until the next pattern release. I have to say, I just love the yarn. It had sat in my stash looking rather dull and dark, for quite a while. Once knitted up though, the lighter, brighter touches of pink and purples really show through.

I 'bit the bullet' and ripped back the 'Pomatamus' socks last weekend. I knew if I didn't pick them up again this week and at least knit back to where I had been, they could so easily slide into the naughty corner and not be seen again for some time.

There we go! Looking much better. No snags and no unexplained hole! Smile! This yarn deserves the best!

My youngest 'lovely girl' has expressed a desire for me to knit her a warm 'coaty kind of cardi',  several times recently. Yesterday, whilst in John Lewis on a bed linen buying mission, we veered off course and found ourselves surrounded by wooly goodness. She found just the right pattern and yarn and Snoopydog thought 'yum!' So, without too much thought about the expense of this particular 'coaty cardi', my 'lovely girl' hurried right along to the 'Pay Desk'. It's 'Gayle' from Rowan's Purelife 'the British Sheep Breed Collection', knitted up in undyed Blue Faced Leicester. The pattern book has lots of warm, scrumptiously woolly jumpers and jackets inside it.

How times come around again! I remember knitting aran sweaters and cardis for Mr Snoopydog and myself, way back in the seventies. I'm secretly hoping to get a 'wear or two' of this one. I think it's lovely! Not quite so sure about the handwashing (to keep the lanolin in) though, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now I should be feeling much more concerned about actually managing to complete the knitting! There does look to be rather a lot of it!

Just to satisfy myself that I had been a little productive today, I managed to rustle up six jars of marmalde to stash. Okay, it's only made from a can of 'Ma Made', water and two 1.8kg of sugar, but it's still satisfying to produce.

It's that time of year, when Sunday evening supper calls for roast vegetables. Scrummy! Tonight, they'll be served with fresh broccoli and tender leg of lamb. Usually we add sweet potato as well. Chop them all up, dry them, chuck them into a large roasting dish, with several (quite a few!!!!) whole cloves of garlic. Add a little olive or sunflower oil and a slash of maple syrup. Season with salt and pepper before whacking in the oven for an hour. Delicious!

I wonder what's on your menu this evening? :)

Tomorrow, Oscar has to return to the orthopaedic vet, for further x-rays, to find out how he's healing. He needs lots of crossed fingers, toes and paws, as he is still limping and the shoulder is clearly still troubling him. There was no guarantee that he would be cured :( I feel rather pessimistic at the moment, but let's wait and see what tomorrow brings. He deserves to feel well again, so that he can run and play and enjoy life in true uninhibited labrador fashion. So, on that note, I'll take my leave and pop the lamb in the oven. Please cross those fingers and doggy or pussy paws!!!!!