by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting No Comments

Who doesn’t love a good pun? Or bee?

Ok, ok, I’ll bee-have and get to the ‘point’!

One of the guys at my work is having his first child, and now that the baby is born (and he’s a cutie too) I feel I can reveal a little something I whipped up for him. It’s a slightly modified Honeycomb Stroller Blanket (free pattern) with some cute Buzzy Bee Motif (free pattern) added to emphasise the bee theme. And just to top it all off, a Bertie the Bee (also a free pattern).

I was in Norfolk when the gift was handed over with a card and collection from the department, but I was told it went down very well! He was positively buzzing apparently!

The bee puns are just too bee-asy…

Anyhow, its been a quiet week, mostly recovering from the holiday and Halloween shenanigans, but I also lost my voice so it was particularly quiet in that regards! There’s been some knitting and I am so very, very close to finishing my jumper I did a sneak peak of a few weeks ago.

Fingers crossed I can show it off properly next week!

Till then, stay safe!

Wool Count

Starting total – 897

Wool used – 145 (1 this week!!)
Wool bought – 50 (Just 1 ball!)
Wool given to me – 47
Wool gifted to others – 4
Wool handspun – 13 (2 Spun at the Spinning lesson)

Total – 850 (Net total of 32 down!)

And a cute photo to end this week – Lockdown was particularly enamoured with the Honeycomb blankie and every opportunity was in it or on it! I did thoroughly wash it before blocking and gifting just so you all know!

by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

Last week, after I hit post on my blog, the family set of to Norfolk for the week with a pair of our friends.

There was swimming, Lego, beaches, crabbing, fossil hunting, aquariums, archery, exploring and generally a good time was had by all. Though my friends have been broken. They don’t have children and I don’t think they were fully prepared for the constant go-go-go that comes with my little Terrors!

They’re both recovering after some pretty long sleeps, and cat cuddles, and more sleep, and are keen to do it again…after they’ve recovered some more!

Amongst all the busy busy go-go-go, myself and one of my friends went to a spinning class at the Spinning Barn, where it was just us and the instructor. I came out of it knowing the names of what it is I’ve been doing, as well as number of tips and tricks on how to refine it and get the end product I want.

My friend however, who has only played on my wheel once previously, came on in huge leaps and bounds and is now itching to get a wheel herself.

Would definitely recommend!!!

We got back yesterday, and today was the Manchester Halloweekend where we have torn around town, enjoying all the spooky delights on offer! We all dressed up and gave a fair few people some frights too, all in good fun if course!!!

And on that spooky note:

The Spookie Ookie Cat trio!!!! The patterns are: Itchy Witchy Hat Cat, Ghostie Cat and once again, Jack-o-Cat all by Anna Hrachovec (creator of Mochimochiland).

Till next week, stay safe and enjoy the last of this spooky day! (We’re about to go deliver some more frights trick or treating)

Wool Count

Starting total – 897

Wool used – 144 (2 this week!!)
Wool bought – 50 (Just 1 ball!)
Wool given to me – 47
Wool gifted to others – 4
Wool handspun – 13 (2 Spun at the Spinning lesson)

Total – 851 (Net total of 31 down!)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

Drumroll please! I would like to introduce Inklings amazing idea:

A pumpkin cat basket so Dashie can be just like the little Jack-o-cat I knitted last week!

When he told me his idea I was floored at how simple yet incredibly adorable it was. I did have to buy a wicker basket and some wool (those 14 balls last week) but it came together super quick and yeah, with Dashie in it, it’s just too cute!

There’s also a few contests I was planning on entering and this photo is definitely going to be the entry!

Hmm…does that mean I have to share any prizes I get with Inkling? And credit the 4yo with the amazing idea…?

In other news, Lockdown. (This post is all about the cats this week) He had his vet appointment on Monday and the vet was genuinely shocked at how well his tail had healed, and how well he was responding to treatment and had shown no signs of grooming it etc. (We did not to get a soft cone for him which he hated, but at least he could get into his little hidey holes and move around much more freely!)

The verdict? Despite the fact the vet was positive the tail would have to come off, he gets to keep it! Hooray! Though he has used at least one of his nine lives over this whole ordeal.

Thats all for this week, it’s a super short post I know (but a cute one) and it’s earlier than normal but that’s because of chaos that is about to ensue. More on that next week. If I survive…

Till then, stay safe and marvel at just how photogenic Dashie can be when your waving treats off camera…

Wool Count

Starting total – 897

Wool used – 142 (11 this week!!)
Wool bought – 49
Wool given to me – 47
Wool gifted to others – 4
Wool handspun – 11

Total – 852 (Net total of 32 down!)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

What can I say? It’s coming up to my favourite holiday and I am definitely getting in the spooky mood!

Heres one of my projects currently on the needles (I know I don’t generally share WIPs but I’m quite proud of how this MKAL has gone!)

The pattern is 100% That Witch by Brittany Westmorland – it’s a MKAL that’s currently running on Ravelry and I’m actually running two weeks behind as my needles were in another project. I’ve also deviated from the pattern in a few places (I can’t help it!) but I’m really enjoying how it’s come out so far!

Now, here’s one of my latest super cute and completed spooky knits:

Isnt this pumpkin kitty adorable?! The pattern is Jack-o-Cat by Anna Hrachovec (Mochimochiland) and is part of her Spooky Ookie Cats set – look out for more coming in the future!

Now, Mochimochiland is running a competition based on spooky photos involving her designs, and Inkling has come up with a rather amazing idea when I was taking the above photo. I’ve collected all the things I need, including 14 new balls of wool, and it’s a race against time to see if I can make his idea happen to submit it for the contest!

If not, still expect cute photos at some point in the future!

Speaking of future, I am still waiting on the go ahead for two finished knitting projects and one sewing project to share with you all…sigh…soon I hope, soon!

In other news it’s been a bit of a week. The lurgy has hit the house making small chores seem like mountains to climb, and on top of that, Lockdown came rushing in Wednesday night dripping blood everywhere. Turns out something bit his tail and it’s tooth punctured clean through it.

Emergency day off work Thursday and off to the vets for first appointment of the day – antibiotics, painkillers, anti-inflammatory meds, cone of shame and house arrest have been prescribed for my ginger trouble maker, and fingers crossed when he goes to the vets tomorrow (Monday) they will decide the wound has healed enough with no permanent nerve damage and he won’t have to get it amputated…

Not sure who would be more upset about that, myself, the kids, or him. I suspect myself mainly.

Other than some gardening and Felix going to her first sleepover (they grow so fast!) not much else has happened really. On that note, I’m going to get back to knitting Inklings amazing idea and keep an eye on Lockdown who is having a little break from his cone so he can groom himself…I don’t trust him at all however…

Wool Count

Starting total – 897

Wool used – 131 (1 this week!!)
Wool bought – 49
Wool given to me – 47
Wool gifted to others – 4
Wool handspun – 11

Total – 863 (Net total of 21 down! Curses! I will claw that number back!!!)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

Thats not the most burning question, really, it’s actually:

Which looks cutest? Just shorn, growing back in or time for shearing? (Left to right)

Need more cuteness to help with the decision?

Just look at those faces!

These are all knit with the same needles and same pattern (the one used the other week – Tiny Alpaca! by Anna Hrachovec) but with different fluffy/textured wool and it has affected the size, shape and cuteness by a lot!

I’m curious to know which is your favourite? I’ll reveal later which one actually won out for my grand alpacalypse plan!

Been a busy week (isn’t every week these days?) and have just got back from seeing friends at the zoo, and I am physically and socially worn out from it! We all had a ball – Felix was super excited to see a leopard up close and Inkling had a bonding moment with a gibbon who was as curious of him as he was of it! And for me it was all about the ring tailed lemur, which due to Covid, meant that the walkthrough enclosure was currently closed. Turns out lemurs are susceptible to human respiratory illnesses and that includes Covid.

The things you never knew!

Oh! We also saw a pair of vicunas today (the smallest of the camelidae family and the wild ancestor to what we know of as the modern alpaca) with a fleece that is super fine and soft but can only be sheared every three years…and was of great value to the Incas to the point only royalty could wear things made from their fleece…If it went for the electric fence…

More things you never knew!

So with that, I shall leave it till next and until then, stay safe!

(Oh, and in case your wondering, I have three projects – 1 sewn and 2 knitted I can’t reveal quite just yet but hopefully soon! Until then, expect more alpacas. Or llamas. They appear to have become interchangeable in this house and I haven’t quite had the heart to sit everyone down and go through what exactly separates the two species!)

Wool Count

Starting total – 897

Wool used – 130 (2 this week!!)
Wool bought – 35
Wool given to me – 47
Wool gifted to others – 4
Wool handspun – 11

Total – 863 (Net total of 34 down! Or 45 if I don’t count the handspun, cause it was fleece in the stash anyway…it’s just changed form…what are your thoughts?)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

It’s a frisbee!! Made following the free circular How to Knit a Granny Square pattern by Frankie Brown.

As someone who knows how to crochet, and can technically do it, but can’t due to a knackered wrist, I was very keen to have an excuse to try knitted crochet, and these cotton frisbees for the Christmas set was a perfect opportunity!

I will say that it was still hard on my wrist, and I had to take breaks from it more than if I had been knitting normally, but I could do it for far, far longer than crochet!

Curiosity satisfied, another present finished.

In other news, you will have noticed I didn’t post last week – you can blame Rabbie for that one! You can read about the chaos on her blog, but regardless, I was just too tired from the week, the weekend, and the start of another week to actually take the time to post anything!

There has been family meet ups, Dog fest, socialising, work stuff, gaming, littlest terror has started his swimming lessons and oldest one has gone up four book bands this school term already…it’s been busy!

Project wise there’s quite a lot on the needles, and as such, not a lot of progress on any of it! I’m usually a monogamous knitted but…yeah…more on those as and when I have things to show.

Until next week, stay safe!

Wool Count

Starting total – 897

Wool used – 128 (2 this week!!)
Wool bought – 35 (2 this week, but for a specific project, promise!)
Wool given to me – 47
Wool gifted to others – 4
Wool handspun – 11

Total – 865 (still a net total of 32 down!!)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 1 Comment

Just a small, quick knit to show this week, and this is the first of many. Many, many.

What am I on about?

Teeny Tiny Alpaca! Pattern by by Anna Hrachovec – better known as Mochimochiland! I do adore her patterns, and there’s a whole herd of these guys planned!

I may have mentioned before but my conservatory is being turned into a craft area now that the roof is sorted – and purely for no other reason than ‘because’ and ‘its Rabbies fault’, I’m giving it an alpaca/llama theme.

There’s a few things in progress for said theme, so this little guy is a sneak peak, but he’s also the only bit remotely close to photograph ready! I plan on more with different fluffy/textured wools to see what I like best and what also works best.

Not much to report this week, other than the front garden is finally finished. My hands and back are incredibly pleased with this knowledge, and fingers crossed to good harvests next year!

On that note, I’m going to return to my nest on the sofa and not move for the rest of the evening…

Till next week, stay safe!

Wool Count

Starting total – 897

Wool used – 126 (1 this week!!)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given to me – 47
Wool gifted to others – 4
Wool handspun – 11

Total – 865 (A net total of 32 down!!)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 1 Comment

As I mentioned previously, I’ll alternate between the more boring practical Christmas knits and the cute and random ones that seem to appear frequently in my life…

And so, I present:

Rather than wrapping paper, or a plastic bag, I’ve opted to knit several large Boardwalk Beach Bags by Holly Beemer (a very easy, quick free pattern) out of cotton and a cotton/linen mix. But me being me, I couldn’t resist making them look cute, and thus bumble bees! (Though more than one person has pointed out that the darker yellow/orange and black ones look like Hufflepuff house colours…which is perfect for my sis, who is a self declared Hufflepuff!)

I have also made two small ones which will hold little knitted cotton pads for cleaning faces/removing makeup (worryingly most of the supermarket ones contain plastic! Didn’t realise that till I looked at the packaging…)

And that’s all for this week regarding Christmas gifts.

I’m currently working on three things at the moment, and very shortly a fourth which will involve me spinning a fair bit of wool. All I’ll say on that is “Rabbie, you’re a genius, and that’s going to look awesome on the wall – may have to make two!”

Its been a weird week this week – work has been quiet, giving me lots of time to start thinking things over, and plot, and plan… I’ve also started training someone and accidentally became their buddy, which is quite hilarious seeing as I have been signed off after the fact on all my own training!

This weekend has been two family fun days, and despite panicking every time anyone came near me, it was brilliant – the kids even got to play with a fireman’s hose and go into the cab! So jealous! It’s strange though, post Covid, in that even though it was crowded, everyone kept themselves separate from everyone else…

I am thoroughly shattered though, physically and socially, I have definitely got to start building up my tolerance of being around people again!

Wool Count

Starting total – 897

Wool used – 125 (6 this week!!)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given to me – 47
Wool gifted to others – 4
Wool handspun – 11

Total – 866 (A net total of 31 down!!)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

That’s the question of the day – who can resist Resisty the resistor?

I needed a cute quick project to break up the Christmas knitting and I just couldn’t resist knitting this cute geeky creation! (It’s a free Mochimochi pattern called Resisty the Resistor by Anna Hrachovec)

Not sure the guys at my work quite knew what to make of a little resistor sitting on my desk, but it has been confirmed to be 450 mega Ohms with 2% resistance. For the rest of us, that means the colour and placement of the stripes creates a genuine product.

It does leave me wondering if I should knit a few other electronic component friends for Resisty to confuse and baffle the guys at work…

Its been a very quick week this week, and other than my two Terrors both starting school, returning for Felix but actually starting for Inkling, there hasn’t been all that much going on. I think the emotional realisation that my babies are growing up was tiring enough!

There’s been a bit of spinning, mostly knitting, work, baking, gardening and playing games of the computer, RPG and board varieties, so I guess that has been a lot really!

Oh, and I just literally received confirmation that I have been selected to test knit a pattern for another designer – so I need to have a good rummage in the stash and decide what to use, and whether this will be a gift or something for me! Oh, oh! And I’ve been asked to knit another mounted head, the creature itself has yet to be decided but it has to be cryptozoological in nature to go with the jackalope!

My lists of projects just keeps getting longer!

Hope you have all had a good week and I’ll see you next – till then, stay safe!

Wool Count

Starting total – 897

Wool used – 119 (5 this week!!)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given to me – 47
Wool gifted to others – 4
Wool handspun – 11

Total – 872 (A net total of 25 down!!)

by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 1 Comment

First of all, I apologise now as I a mentioning the dreaded word ‘Christmas’ before Halloween. I know, it’s a heathen act, but when it comes to knitting large portions of Christmas gifts you do need to start really early..

I will try and alternate boring Christmas knitting with fun knitting – promise!

So, the first thing is to explain the concept behind this year’s Christmas bags and that is ‘eco-friendly’. All knits will be made form bio degradable materials like cotton or linen, and the bulk of them will replace items commonly made of plastic.

The first knit:

Scrubbies! These are knit following the free pattern Tribble by Abigail – 1870pearl, and like the cute furry menace they are named after, you can’t knit one. They just seem to multiply…

The idea behind these is that the cotton and linen fibres are fully biodegradable, so when they start to fall apart (about 6 months heavy use in my house) you can toss them away and they will break down. Traditional plastic sponges last barely three months in my house, and of course, once they get to landfill, they just stay there…

In other crafting news, I have been teaching one of my friends how to spin, and have done some myself, but whereas they have finished wool, I do not. Maybe in a few weeks I will have more handspun to show, and all the colours for my next planned handspun project..

Non crafting news sees me very much happy at my new job, I’ve finally had a go at playing Battletech (miniatures version), we all went to the Blue John Caverns and tried one of the three caves, which went really well so plan to try the other two at a later date! There’s also been lots of tidying and sorting and going through clothes as both the Terrors start school next week – Inkling can’t wait, long may it last!

Wool Count

Starting total – 897

Wool used – 114 (3 this week!!)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given to me – 47
Wool gifted to others – 4
Wool handspun – 11

Total – 877 (A net total of 20 down)