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Category: Knitting

by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 1 Comment

Some of you may be wondering why I haven’t mentioned a certain set of blue projects for a while, a set of three matching blue sweater vests to be exact, and the answer to that was…

Well, I finished them. Did all the picking up of stitches and ribbing, weaved in the ends, then shoved them in a bag and out of sight for…three weeks…?

I am ashamed to admit I have only just pulled them back out to photograph them and to share with you all!

Apologies for the photos being somewhat uninspired, but with so much blue, and it being three identical garments in various sizes…there’s not much you can do with that!

I’m planning on gifting these today, and if my measurements and maths are all correct, they should fit the FIL and the little Terrors well. Can’t wait to see them all matching!!

In current knitting news, I am doing a spate of Christmas knitting. These will get shared, in part, on the blog as the only member of the family who reads this and will receive them has been helping come up with ideas and inspiration behind it all. More on that later.

I did mention last week about sewing projects, and there’s been some fun photo shoots with regards to that, as well as a few extra little projects sneaking their way in. There’s debate as to when I should share these as I don’t know if I should before I send it off to its new owner, or wait until they have received it… When I get an answer I will post about it, until then, we’re all somewhat being kept in the dark!

In non knitting news, my new job has been going well. It’s strange working for a company that focuses on nurturing their employees and encouraging ideas and creativity, compared to being just a number who gets their workload increased until they crack…

There was a lengthy conversation with Engel where I explained that I was happy, but also anxious, because surely, at any moment now, the other shoe is going to drop and it’s all going to turn out to be some elaborate ploy with some awful catch attatched… I’m still waiting.

There’s been some spinning going on as well, I have a project planned that requires some hand spun, and some natural dying of fleece for no other reason than I wanted to have a play with colour.

Yesterday saw me getting my second Covid jab, which I am pleased to have now had. Its a strange one, I wasn’t keen on getting the vaccine for myself, as in my health, but was very keen to get it so I would feel that the risk of making friends and family and loved ones would be greatly reduced.

Give it two weeks and I will be giving out all the hugs!

Thats all for this week, sorry it’s a bit of a ramble, I feel like I have lots to say but also not sure what to say, or where to start.

Until next week, stay safe!

Wool Count

Starting total – 897

Wool used – 107 (5 this week!!)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given to me – 47
Wool gifted to others – 4
Wool handspun – 9

Total – 882 (A net total of 15 down)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

But we have rainbows!

Lots of rainbows! These cuties are made following the pattern Rainbow by Sarah Keen from her book ‘100 Little Knitted Projects’. These were made at Inklings request for his nursery teachers, and I could hardly refuse after knitting a sore tooth for Felix’s teacher!

I’ve managed to finish off a few things, as well as start a number more, past few weeks, but I’ll go over each as and when I post them on here, as well as actually finish them for quite a number of them! Ones of my finished projects was actually a sewing project!

I literally finished that today, and with the weather absolutely pouring it down, haven’t had a chance to get any photos, but there will be more on that soon! If the rain ever stops…

In other news…it’s been really quiet. Which makes a really nice change. Work is good. Engels work is good. Nothing major had happened to the house. The kids are happy. Its…just been nice. There’s a small family day out planned for tomorrow which should be fun, especially as it involves frogs! Poor Engel…

But yeah. That’s about it. No new wool added, despite many targeted ads telling me about all manner of different sales going on involving very, very cheap wool…not a huge amount out either as have been trying to mess around and tinker with a few ideas with specific wool which are destined as Christmas gifts…

More on that later. Maybe. Depends.

The only thing to mention really is that the world is crawling out of various Covid restrictions, some faster than others, and some people are going full throttle into society whereas I seem to definitely be creeping along. Has anyone else found socialising really hard? Harder than it was pre Covid anyway? I’ve met with friends a little at a time over the past few weeks and I always feel like I need a week to recover…

Anyhow! Enough rambling, I’ll talk more next week, until then, keep safe!

Wool Count

Starting total – 897

Wool used – 102 (1 this week)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given to me – 47
Wool gifted to others – 4
Wool handspun – 9

Total – 887 (A net total of 10 down. At least it reached double figures…)

by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 1 Comment

Hi all! Thank you to all those who checked in with me after my brief hiatus – I did say I may not post depending on how the new job was going.

Short answer to that is I’m very happy. Its a learning curve, but I don’t feel too far out of my depth and I can see myself as part of the team. More importantly I am no longer feeling super stressed, I’ve actually been sleeping and my appetite has returned.

I hadn’t realised any of the above until after the fact, but that’s often how life works so I’m not going to dwell on it. (Also pointedly ignoring Engels ‘I told you so’)

Barring some major drama on the first day (45 minutes into it, the school called to tell me Inkling had a cough and so he and Felix and us all needed to get tested and isolate until we got our results) We found out super early Tuesday morning and I was able to redo my first day on the second day.

Work where fine with it, though I now hold the current record for shortest amount of time between someone starting then having to leave. Sigh. I also have the record for most amusing interview seeing as Outbreak decided halfway through it to introduce herself to the people on the Zoom call and managed to hang up on them…midway through the interview…

So long as I don’t get any more records I think I’ll be ok…

Last weekend was busy with catching up with people and then it was this week. Before I knew it, the school finished for the summer holidays, Inkling is no longer in nursery and will be starting school next term and yeah…

Which brings me to today’s title. What time does a tooth hurt?

The answer: Two thirty (tooth hurty). This awful joke is Felix’s teachers favourite joke, amongst many other terrible ones, so I knitted him a sore tooth at Felix’s request as an end of school year gift. I believe it brought a number of smiles and a fair few chuckles, and groans, to the classroom…

The pattern is a modified version of Sour Tooth by Anna Hrachovec from her book ‘Super-Scary Mochimochi’ – of all the patterns in that book, this one in its original pattern is truly the most terrifying…

This weekend has seen more catching up with friends, including a fellow yarnie who gave me 18 balls of wool from a wool haul her husband got, and whom I gave three to for future projects she has planned (more on that later) so my wool collection has once more grown…oops…

Anyhow, enough of a ramble from me, till next week, stay safe!

Wool Count

Starting total – 897

Wool used – 101 (3 since last post)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given to me – 47 (Up 18 due to fellow yarnie)
Wool gifted to others – 4 (Up 3 also due to fellow yarnie)
Wool handspun – 9

Total – 888 (Up 12, getting concerned that I have only lost a net total of 9 balls this year now!)

by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

It’s been a very long and busy week. Despite the heat it’s also been very productive. The roof is all fixed now, my nest egg is but a few pieces of shell, (just in case, commission’s are open!) I got all the fences painted, both gardens weeded, fruit harvested and a whole load of cleaning, tidying and sorting!

Thankfully the majority was done at the start of the week as it’s been getting hotter and hotter as it’s progressed. But I was planning on physically resting anyway as my new job starts tomorrow.

The nerves have well and truly hit me, but there’s still excitement! Keep your fingers crossed for me!

On to the knitting content!

Its approaching the end of the school year here, and as such I’m knitting a few small gifts for the teachers and teaching assistants. One of the TAs in Felix’s class also runs Welsh club, which Felix has really enjoyed going to, and as such, Felix felt she deserved a special knit – a little red dragon! Or should I say ‘draig goch fach’?

(Ok, I have a friend he speaks Welsh, and I asked her as I know zero Welsh)

Anyhow, the pattern is Dragons 9051 by King Cole Ltd – I added front legs, ears and the little spikes down his back though to make it more like the Welsh dragon.

Anyhow, I’m exhausted and dying of the heat, hopefully I’ll have a post for you all next week but with it being the first week at not just a new job, but of a career change, I make no promises!

Wool Count

Starting total – 897

Wool used – 98 (1 this week)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given to me – 29 (Andrew picked me up 8 balls of cotton for the Christmas projects I’m plotting)
Wool gifted to others – 1
Wool handspun – 9

Total – 876 (Up 7, sigh, still more out than in though!)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

As you’ve already probably guessed by the title, I’m still working through the miles of blue cabled vests, and still knitting  ‘Kawaii Kittens’ by Louise Walker from the book ‘Mollie Makes Knitting’ as little breaks from the endless blue.

This one is different in that I didn’t follow the pattern exactly as written in the book as there isn’t a sushi cat pattern, so I changed the colours and pattern, and added a little prawn/shrimp on top to create…

I couldn’t resist going to get some sushi and soupy noodles as an excuse to get some cute photos! Here’s another, next to some shrimp nigiri, to show you the tail of the prawn/shrimp!

As well as getting sushi, it’s been an eventful week. There was some working from home to tie off all the loose ends of my job before I am fully done and start the next one. The kids are fast approaching the end of the school year so there’s a lot to do and organise with that. My roof sprung a leak which had to get fixed asap, with more work to be done when we can arrange the time and money for it. As well as this, my mum managed to finally visit us, and it’s been near two years since she last set foot in my house. Chaos and good times had by all, but I am thoroughly exhausted!

Which is why this is a day later than usual – feel better for getting some sleep and serious knitting time in, but more sleep and knitting is needed to recharge the batteries I think! Maybe some spinning too…

Wool Count

Starting total – 897

Wool used – 97 (7 this week)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given to me – 21
Wool gifted to others – 1
Wool handspun – 9

Total – 869 (no net change)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 1 Comment

Yep, you guessed it, number three of the  ‘Kawaii Kittens’ set by Louise Walker from the book ‘Mollie Makes Knitting’. 

This is Popcorn Kitty, and the last of the set. He’s going to be the main one I’ll be using pattern wise for tweaking for the next cat cushion – sushi! Looking forward to it!

In other knitting news, I have separated the arm holes and worked a good five of the ten inches for the back and front of blue vests number two – the FILs, so finally feel like it’s progressing! Next it’ll be Inklings and then picking up the sleeve and neck edges for a bit of rib on all three…there’s still miles to go…

As part of my avoiding the knitting of the endless blue vests, I started some kumihimo braiding for the conservatory, painted clouds on the ceiling, and even spun and plyed a small skein of Ziggy inspired wool for when I knit her mini version.

Thursday was also my last in the labs of a job I’ve had for the past five years, even longer if you include the two years before that…as I mentioned last week, I’m off to pasture new and a career change to boot, but that’s not for another fortnight. At the moment I’m just very giddy! Sad to say bye to some really good people, but the rest of me was more than ready to leave.

Short post as Felix has a friend round and they have been suspiciously quiet…

Wool Count

Starting total – 897

Wool used – 90 (1 this week)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given to me – 21
Wool gifted to others – 1
Wool handspun – 9 (1 this week)

Total – 876 (no net change)

by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

Still working through miles of blue vests, so this week’s quick knit break was:

I’m definitely enjoying these cute knits far more than the vests, but alternating between is definitely helping knitting project burn out! The pattern for the Ice Cream Cat, like the Burger Cat, is a set of three cushion patterns called ‘Kawaii Kittens’ by Louise Walked from the book ‘Mollie Makes Knitting’. Popcorn cat is the remaining cat from the set, but I have plans to tweak the pattern to make other cute food variations…

Aside from the knitting, the rest of the time has been spent sorting out all my craft things (including ripping out a pile of old knitted projects in various states of completion which I had thrown into a naughty corner and forgotten about) and moving everything into the conservatory, sorting Engels things into piles for him to go through proper, and yesterday was a mammoth painting session – all the walls and ceiling are now painted, multiple coats required, especially on the ceiling, which is blue and now awaiting me to get the energy to paint some clouds on it.

Look forward to that, just waiting for the pain in my neck and shoulders to ease…

Hope you’ve all had a good week, and until next post, stay safe!

Wool Count

Starting total – 897

Wool used – 89 (1 this week)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given to me – 21
Wool gifted to others – 1
Wool handspun – 8

Total – 876

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

It has been quite a week this week. The conservatory now has a proper roof on it, meaning I had to gut it out, put everything that was in there into the living room, and measure the space and look at proper furniture…plus builders and plasterers and work and kids and something of a normal routine…

It’s been interesting. I have also had to admit that I have maybe, just a teensy bit, too much wool. Only because of the wool avalanche that occurred when moving it all. And the fact that when trying to box it up in what I thought was enough boxes…I sound up having to create a ‘naughty corner’ for packs of wool that I just ran out of space with.

But mostly the avalanche.

Aside from all that crazy, I handed my notice in this week and will be starting a new job in engineering (I am aware that as a microbiologist currently working as a radiochemist, that this is quite a jump, even for me) so if there’s radio silence for a few weeks round about then, you know why.

But enough about me, everyone is here to see knitting! I’m still plodding on with the three matching blue cabled vests, and will be for a good bit longer, but looking at miles of blue wool, and working with miles of blue wool, is kind of boring after a while. So I took a one day break and knitted:

Burger Cat! He’s actually a set of three cushion patterns called ‘Kawaii Kittens’ by Louise Walked from the book ‘Mollie Makes Knitting’. Along with a burger cat, there is a popcorn and ice cream cat. I think once I have knitted the others, I will tweak the colours and make a sushi cat. Or maybe a tako-yaki cat.

So many ideas!

But back to blue knitting for now.

So until next week, keep safe!

Wool Count

Starting total – 897

Wool used – 88 (7 this week)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given to me – 21
Wool gifted to others – 1
Wool handspun – 8

Total – 877 

Bonus cute: Outbreak has decided that burger cat is hers:

Its mine mummy, mine!
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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

On a knitting holiday…not quite! Though the stars did align and a holiday has been had. We did a family trip to Wales where we explored little villages, chilled on beaches…

Were joined by the most awesome people in the world, my sis Rabbie and her husband! There we went on tiny trains and climbed up the Welsh mountainside to explore old ruins and castles…

There was playparks and dragon boats and an old copper mine that we explored, then suddenly we said our goodbyes and went back home…

I have lots of good memories, lots of fantastic photos and a fair bit of knitting to show for my holidays, but more importantly I feel like the world is just one step closer to being back to normal, and I’m ok with that.

Pattern being knit is a free pattern called Dad’s Cabled Vest by Ira Dearing which I am making for the FIL as well as matching ones for my Terrors just for cuteness sake. Unfortunately I was half asleep when I was doing my math after knitting a gauge Swatch and Engel thankfully realised several inches into the main body…at least I was able to begin the armhole shaping and now it’s the one earmarked for Felix. So I have cast on once again for the FILs…once all three are knitted I’lll do the finishing around the necks and armholes and show them on here. Until then its either going to be radio silence, in progress shots, or any distractions I decide to make instead of working in these!

Till next week, stay safe guys!

(No wool count again as I didn’t record how many balls of wool I got through, but I will be able to work it out when I figure out how many balls I started with Vs how many I have left…)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting No Comments

A short post this week as it’s been very busy, and is going to get busier rather than slower as the week progresses. The stars have aligned and great Cthulhu – wait, no, wrong mythos.

The stars have aligned and the plague is low enough that I can finally enjoy all the things I have wanted since the first lockdown! But more in all that next week.

For now, all you get is hugs!

Yep, I have knitted a small army of little hugs for the school’s Father’s Day market! Unlike the hugs I knit previously, these are tiny versions using the wonderful free pattern: Hearts by Anna Hrachovec (Mochimochiland!) I just added arms and hands to turn them into hugs and yeah, voila!

Till next week, stay safe!

(No wool count as no changes this week)

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