HAPPY PUMPKIN DAY!

Hello again! It's hard to believe that the half-term holiday is almost at an end and it's back to school on Monday. We've had some fun time this week with all of our children home to visit at the same time; quite unusual, now that they are all pursuing their careers in different parts of the country and in the case of Miss Snoopydog 2, the World! It's always good to share some quality time together and catch up on ourselves.

We've been out and about lots. Nowhere very sensational, but when you are all together everywhere feels special! First of all I thought I'd share my 'pumpkin walk' photos with you. They were taken yesterday. We had all gone to our local water park to give Scott a walk and ball chase. Evening was beginning to close in as we arrived and Scott was desperate to get chasing that tennis ball!! It's a very pretty water park; a fantastic local amenity and a favourite spot for dog walkers, dinghy sailors and water birds. Yesterday, it was also the chosen spot for these spooky pumpkins. Don't know how they got there, but we enjoyed them and they added a certain unexpected something to our late afternoon October stroll.



I had to go and visit them again on our way back to the car, just to see them glowing in the eerie blue darkness that was swiftly descending upon them.

Scott loves the water park......... tennis ball to chase, dogs to meet and water to swim in. That eerie early evening light cast it's magic over these views.





Seemed a bit like a blue world! Nevertheless, it was Scotty heaven! Needless to say, he spent the evening fast asleep.............. aahhh!



Earlier in the week we drove into Suffolk, to visit our favourite local coastal 'spot', Aldeburgh. It's a very pretty and unspoilt coastal town. Here's a little taster of our day .....

It's been a lovey half-term, spent with our family; good food, long walks and talks and Scott! :D

I promised you I would show my special little something that arrived from across the sea. It was a 'Pink Ribbon' mini-skein from one of my blogging pals melissa over at the Knitting Sandwich. She is doing a 60 mile walk over 3 days, to raise funds for a cancer fighting charity in the US. I supported her fund raising effort and received this pretty little mini-skein ...... soo exciting to find a little squishy envelope from over the sea! Such a lovely thought Melissa.... hope the walk goes well and you raise lots.


Melissa, here it is already knitted up (well, one square!). Thought you might like to see it. So special to think about the origin of that little square and how it came to be in my blankie.







Thanks Melissa. That little square has a special place in my blankie.

Needless to say, with a houseful for the last week, not too much knitting has been done. I have finished the back and left front of my 'October Afternoon' cardigan, that has sat in the bag for far too long. I won't show you yet, but hopefully it will be finished soon and I'll be able to show you in all its finished glory.

I have already chosen my November Sock Challenge pattern to go with my pre-selected November yarn. The pattern is 'Wildflower Socks' and the yarn is by 'Claudia Hand-painted Yarns'. It was a gift from my best pal josiekitten.



I just love the colours and the feel of this gorgeous yarn. Lets hope I find time to finish them before November is out, as I have rather a lot on the go at the moment. The photo is of a very special place in my memory. Over a pint of ale, we reminisced this week and talked about 'good times' had there when our three children were small. Do you know where the photo was taken? I'll tell you more next time.

Time to go, as the bread has finished cooking and the drying has finished drying and it's nearly time for bed!

Hope you all have a fun filled week ahead. See you soon X

'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

'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!

SUN, SEA, WALKS, FAMILY......

Hello there! It's good to be back. I have just returned from a wonderfully relaxing week in North Yorkshire, where we met up with our family! We walked and explored and dined and supped, found forests and Roman Camps, beaches and art galleries, spotted birds and butterflies, ate fish and chips outdoors, visited a stately home, enjoyed amazing skies and views and generally had fun. I did find time to knit. It was good! Here's a snapshot of our week .........


I took several projects with me to get started on; more than I needed of course! But you never know and ... just in case .... Needless to say, I had more than enough and so not much actually got finished. I tended to knit only for short spells of time in the cottage or in the car. As always, I spent much more time looking at the stunning views, than actually concentrating on any knitting and made endless errors that needed large scale 'frogging'! Let that be a lesson learnt. Either knit or gaze but don't try to do both. This is progress so far........

Very Fetching! (completed)





These are such a quick and simple knit. The pattern is 'Fetching' by Cheryl Niamath. It's very well written and so easy. It would be a good pattern for anyone who is desperate to try out cabling for the first time. There is just enough to practice with and quick gratification of a finished project in about two hours. The pattern suggests one or maybe two balls of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran. I found one was sufficient with very little excess. Always 'good'! They fit like a dream and the cashmerino is so gorgeously soft. I have no doubt that a few more pairs of these may be sprinting off the needles in the run -up to Christmas.

August Welsh Hills Socks





I gave you the details of the yarn and pattern in my last post. I managed to get one sock finished and have to get a move on to finish the other by the end of the month, as these are my August 'Sock Challenge' pair. They are going well and the pattern is easy to memorise. If I hadn't taken several other skeins and patterns with me, they may well have been completed. You know what it's like though. If you've chosen two or three great patterns and you've got two or three (or more :D ) skeins of yarn sitting there in the bag just waiting. It is impossible not to get started, even if it does mean having way too many WIPs!

Seascape Scarf



Oh how I love this yarn and the pattern. I've had it ready and waiting for a while now and once they had both jumped into the 'holiday bag', well ........ couldn't leave them alone for too long now, could I. Just look at the results so far. I LOVE it! Reminds me of the beautiful blue-green sea reflecting an azure blue sky at Robin Hood Bay and the cliffs and the sand and the stunning views as early evening falls and Scott and his humans swim and play. I'll remember; every time I wear my Seascape Scarf!

The pattern is Drop Stitch Scarf by Christine Voegel. It's another great free Ravelry download. I'm using a 100g skein of kettle-dyed Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend. It's perfect for this project as it is quite slinky and has a gorgeous sheen. I think I might be in love!! The pattern is a straightforward 8 Row repeat. Two rows involve yarnovers and two rows involve dropping the the yarnovers SMILE! The rest are just knit! It's very easy to memorise. I haven't got too far yet, but it seems to grow quite quickly on the size 5mm needles and the ball of yarn doesn't seem to be getting very much smaller, so I'm guessing that my 100g will make a perfectly acceptable silk and wool blend scarf, to remind me of lazy summer days.

Speaking of lazy summer days, I can't resist letting you see this lovely picture of Scott ..... he found the spade on a deserted, small beach at Robin Hood Bay and carried it all the way back up to the top of the cliffs, insisting it be thrown for him to retrieve repeatedly, as we all trudged up the steep incline; only to lose all interest in it once we arrived at the top. Typical! We love you Scott!



Wavy Yorkshire Socks

Here they are so far, one and a bit complete ..


These are my 'in the car' socks. I began them on the journey up and completed the first sock within about three days. It's a pattern I've used several times before and always produces a good result' It's yet another freebie - 'Waving Not Drowning Socks' by Violet Green. There are lots of really lovely patterns on her site, many of them free! I'm using a Trekking XXl yarn. Stripy yarns always work well with this pattern, which is 4-row, ultra easy but effective. Just great for long journeys!

No trip away is 'perfect' unless an ever so little yarn stash purchase has been made. Bearing in mind that I am off to the 'I Knit Weekender' in London in about three weeks time, I was very controlled and only bought two skeins of Regia (colourway 04451). What do you think?


Well I have just another week and a half of school summer hols left and my aim is to complete these projects. I do also have the cardigan I showed you last time and a smaller version of the 'Ice-cream Sorbet Bag' to finish. Hmmm ...... lots of knitting time required! Before I go let me leave you with another lovely photo of my grandog, Scott, taken last week at Robin Hood Bay.


AAWW! Such a cute boy!

Have a great week, whatever you are doing!

STRIPY BABY !

Hello there! We have a new baby in the family! My sister-in-law's son and his wife have a little son called Alexander. I made these for him, using Trekking XXL self-striping sock yarn. I love them! What do you think?


It's half-term this week and it couldn't have come any sooner! We have had our son, his wife and Scott (our grandog!) and our eldest daughter and her boyfriend staying with us over the Bank holiday for a few days. We've had lots of fun and 'catching up' time. Our son and his wife left this morning for a friend's wedding in Italy and then to run the Edinburgh Marathon on Sunday, leaving Scott with us until next Tuesday. BIG SMILE!


He loves to run, swim and chase his ball around a large man-made lake close to where we live. It's beautiful there at this time of year.


I have a really sweet baby matinee jacket on the needles, for a friend of a friend and this fab pair of socks. I bought the yarn (Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball in colourway Fuschia) ages ago, especially to knit Mojo by Donyale Grant.



I think the sock looks a little strange here. That's down to my bad photography, because the toe is tucked in. Hopefully I'll be able to show you more the next time I post. The yarn is just scrummy!

YAY! TWO PAIRS OF SOCKS........

It's been a very mixed Bank Holiday weekend weatherwise. The early part of the weekend was glorious and in between getting jobs done, enjoying a coffee whilst watching the 'world go by', writing school reports and meeting friends for a quiz at our local pub, I finished these two pairs of socks.

This pair are my May Magic Circles (Sock Challenge socks). I have told you about the pattern and the yarn in a previous post. I think they are gorgeous. I just adore the colours. The pattern is so easy, but interesting too and so they grow very quickly. What do you think?



These are 'Broadripple', using Jitterbug in colourway Mardi Gras. They were knitted on 3.25 DPN's and as you may remember from my last post.......they were whizzed up in no time!

Well today the weather has taken a distinct change for the worse, but we did venture out for a walk this morning whilst the sun was making the occasional appearance still. We went to a water park close to our home, which a really excellent amenity only a stone's throw from the centre of our busy city. It's a haven for wild life, dog-walkers and watesports enthusiasts.






There were many families of young ducklings and these sweet little geese. Not long after these shots were taken we had some light rain; Mr Snoopydog hoped it would be a heavy downpour so that his vegetables would get a good soaking, but it was not to be.

We made our way home for lunch and then I settled down to start another pair of 'Circle Socks', this time for one of my daughters.


I'll tell you more about them next time!

HALF-TERM BEEN AND GONE...

It seems ages since I last posted, but life has taken over. The last week of school before the holiday was very hectic with far too many deadlines. Mr Snoopydog and I decided to have a few nights away in Pickering, one of our favourite haunts in North Yorkshire. We love spoiling ourselves with a short stay at the White Swan Inn. Pickering is so pretty, with the castle up on the mound and North Yorkshire steam railway. There are also loads of lovely places to visit close by and great walks up on the moors. Our son and his wife, along with Scott (my grandog), and one of our daughters and her boyfriend were going to meet us for a meal on the Saturday evening, but eventually decided to hire a cottage in the town and stay for the weekend. It was Mr Snoopydog's birthday on the Saturday and as a surprise we secretly flew our youngest daughter in from Slovakia, where she is working at present. All went to plan and Mr Snoopydog was thrilled to see her, although a little bemused when she first appeared! The sun shone and we had a fabulously relaxing few days out in the fresh air. It was great!
The trip also spurred me on to finish the Central Park Hoodie, that I had begun for my elder daughter way back before Christmas, so that I could deliver it to her. I managed to complete it just in time and was thrilled with the result. The pattern is easy to follow and accurate, although the sizing is rather small. I used Cascade 22o bought from Get Knitted. It is a well priced yarn, but lovely to knit with. The big black buttons were my daughter's choice.....I had no idea how expensive buttons are. Let's hope she doesn't loose one! She was thrilled with the hoodie and kept it on all weekend...... yes, I mean ALL weekend!

I've also managed to complete one of my February Nutkin socks. The ten row pattern is very easy to memorise and is nice and stretchy. I love the yarn! It's from Indie Dyer and the colours are fab! I need to get my skates on to finish the pair before the end of the month and will post pics when they are done.