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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

I think it’s safe to say for all of us that it’s been a year. As was last year. And the year before.

The past two years I have gone ‘it can’t be worse’, ‘we’ll make up for the previous year’, ‘lets start fresh and make a go of it’. But we live in interesting times. War. Disease. Pandemics. Health scares and ongoing issues. Burn out. So much burn out.

Theres been lots of good too, and many amazing memories and experiences, but this year?

I’m entering this year with a whisper, not a roar. I am taking it slow, and careful. I’m making no grand plans or promises. My one aim is to get through it as quietly, and gently, as possible.

So, in a hushed tone, I wish you all a happy and uneventful 2023.

All that said, you’re here for the knitting, not the ramble, and I shall show you my last knitted item of 2022:

Cthuhlu in a Santa hat. He’s definitely more bah humbug about the whole affair, what with everyone worshipping other creatures beside him, but he is commemorating the start of a new Cthuhlu group, and many campaigns to come.

Fresh blood, got to love it.

There are a whole load of Christmas knits that I will share in the coming weeks, but that’ll be after I have given them to everyone!

And last but not least, my wool count. Most years I have a target of using 100 balls of wool in a year (I did manage that in 2022), and to have a net negative of no less than 50 of what I started with (negatives 19, I did badly in 2022, I blame my COVID comfort purchases). This year, I’m not putting any targets on it. So long as by year end I have at least one less than I started with, I don’t actually care.

Wool Count

Starting total – 880

Wool used – 0
Wool bought – 0
Wool given to me – 0
Wool gifted to others – 0
Wool handspun – 0

Total – 880 (Net difference: nill)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 1 Comment

Not even a…well…mouse?

Two mice? No, more!

Eleven in all!

Turns out, the department I now work in has an annual ‘cheese day’ at this time of year. Essentially everyone brings in cheese, or crackers, or charcuterie…and I had intended on bringing in little polar bears from the great polar bear army I knit at the start of the year but…

Its cheese day, it had to mice!

I used the medium sized pattern of mice by Sue Stratford from her book ‘knitted cats and kittens’, and managed to knock out eleven in two evenings. So cute! And they went down a treat.

Now, I must dash, there’s a lot to do at this time of year and not a lot of time to do it.

Have a good festive season and I will see you all next year!

Stay safe!

Wool Count

Starting total – 843

Wool used – 100 (3 this week)
Wool bought – 51
Wool given to me – 32
Wool gifted to others – 5
Wool handspun – 3

Total – 824 (Net difference: -19)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 1 Comment

Or in this case, blanket!

The final Harry Potter inspired baby knit was actually the first I made – a baby blanket. It did however…grow…into more of a lap blanket or small sofa throw sized item, but the baby will grow into it eventually!

So without further ado:

To make this, I used the following charts from the book “Knitting Magic: More Patterns From Hogwarts & Beyond”, the House Mascot Hats by Lisa K. Ross, the Hogwarts Express Cowl by Tanis Gray and the Delivered By Owl Mittens by Kristin Ornolfsdottir. To finish off, I backed it with some Harry Potter fabric so that no little fingers would be caught in any floats…

I may be a smidge pleased with this one!

Short post this week as it was a busy weekend and I have so many chores and jobs to catch up on and things to organise now that it’s coming to that time of the year…

Honestly, I have no idea where my year has gone. If anyone finds it, please let me know!

Wool Count

Starting total – 843

Wool used – 97 (2 this week)
Wool bought – 51
Wool given to me – 32
Wool gifted to others – 5
Wool handspun – 3

Total – 827 (Net difference: -16)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting No Comments

Quick post today as it’s been a very busy weekend and I’m about to go out for a cheeky night of board games!

I swear, in my head, that sounds much cooler than most people are going to read that as…

Anyway, back to the scheduled Hogwart inspired baby knits! This week was something I have wanted to knit the moment I spotted it in “Knitting Magic: The Official Harry Potter Knitting Pattern Book”.

Its none other than…

The Sorting Hat Hanging Display by tiny owl knits – isn’t it adorable? Your supposed to use two sticks and suspend the animals from those, but I opted to use a small metal wreath and wrap it in the appropriate colours instead.

Not going to lie, I am super pleased! Although I had to do a fair bit of tweaking to the sorting hat as the first pass at sewing the seams made it look more like Oogie Boogie than the sorting hat…

Right, must dash, here’s the wool count and until next post, stay safe!

Wool Count

Starting total – 843

Wool used – 95 (1 ball this week)
Wool bought – 51
Wool given to me – 32
Wool gifted to others – 5 (+4, these may come back as it’s for a friend who wants to knit a toy and only needs a small amount of each colour…but just in case let’s count them as out!)


Wool handspun – 3

Total – 829 (Net difference: -14)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 1 Comment

(The cute Hogwart inspired baby things will resume next week, promise!)

This weekend I did a mad dash up north for a sneaky craft weekend and to see Disney on Ice with my sister, Rabbie – she has a far more elegant description of the visit on her blog here.

In short, I went up to Edinburgh after work on Thursday, after pancakes and chilling, we continued to Aberdeen Friday. There was much crafting and mayhem with Disney on Ice on Saturday, and Sunday was the long, long trip home…

But what crafting did I do?

Resin pouring.

So much resin.

Unfortunately most of the bigger pieces didn’t set in time but I did manage to unmould and bring down these amazing cuties:

Pewter and copper marbled runes – didn’t quite go to plan but I love the results!
And gorgeous blood drops!

And yes, these are made specifically with my Cthuhlu campaigns in mind!

On that note, I shall leave you all be and get some rest myself – stay safe!

Wool Count

Starting total – 843

Wool used – 94
Wool bought – 51 (+3 but bought specifically for a cardigan I will cast on shortly)
Wool given to me – 32
Wool gifted to others – 1
Wool handspun – 3

Total – 834 (Net difference: -9)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 1 Comment

Or ‘Autumn Adventures Continued’…

And it has been adventure. Spent the last Saturday to Saturday in Dunbar, about an hour and a bit East of Edinburgh. Right by the coast, so lots of beach trips and rock pooling! There were also many spooky shenanigans, pumpkin picking and carving, fancy dress contests being won…but a lot of our bigger plans got curtailed as one of our friends came down with a sickness virus.

So I spent Thursday night in A&E with him, but he got all the medicine and was making some recovery by the end of the week…

A good trip, but an exhausting one.

All that aside, my knitting!

Same wool as Felix’s jumper, this is knit loosely following Moonbow Slouchy Knit Cardigan by Jessica Reeves Potasz, a free pattern, with the addition of another free pattern 117-8 Elephant Ears by DROPS design as I wanted to add a shawl collar.

Its big, it’s warm and it’s squishy, which is exactly what I wanted, so very pleased! And every last bit of wool was used, meaning the 20 balls of it that entitled my stash, has officially left! Woo!

And with that, have a good Halloween and I will leave you with my wool count!

Wool Count

Starting total – 843

Wool used – 93 (3 since last update!)
Wool bought – 48
Wool given to me – 32
Wool gifted to others – 1
Wool handspun – 3

Total – 832 (Net difference: -11!)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 1 Comment

A little while ago I sent my dad’s Mrs a pair of knitted slippers as she was getting a very grim sounding operation done to her foot. My dad rang to tell me that they had received it, that she loved them, but where was his gift?

After a bit of banter, it was decided that I would knit him a hat that was a nod to the formal dress of his old military unit, the Royal Scots Dragoon.

Which is…dark blue, almost black, with a yellow zig zag.

Outbreak was more than happy to display the contrasting colours against her fur for me! The pattern used is a free one called Joey by Susan Moskwa. It’s supposed to be knit in one solid colour, but…when do I not tinker with knitting patterns?

In other knitting news, my projects have multiplied even more so now I feel like I’m going even slower – but there is logic behind it all. Namely, hedging the odds in my favour against the inevitable yarn chicken I am going to have to play. Some things I can get away with…others not to much.

Besides from that, not a lot really. We had a much deserved quiet weekend, where we all spent a lot of time just chilling and enjoying each others company playing games. It was nice.

My Cthuhlu game on Friday though was hysterical, but it was, as always, a ‘you had to have been there’ kind of funny. I’m very much looking forward to the next session to see what craziness ensues!

And with that, I wish you all a good and safe week!

Wool Count

Starting total – 843

Wool used – 81 (5 since last update!)
Wool bought – 48
Wool given to me – 32 (3 as birthday gifts!)
Wool gifted to others – 1
Wool handspun – 3

Total – 844 (Net difference: +1, so close!)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 1 Comment

As promised, I knitted the little harness and a tiny B-12 to go with Little Outsider!

Want to take a look?

For the harness I very much knit a little,checked the fit, knit a bit more, checked again, until it looked about right. For B-12 I got several images of him and then went by replicating the rough shapes the adding on details.

I think he looks quite cute getting a little ride in the harness! He does fit in all the way, but a plain harness is a bit boring to photograph!

In other knitting news, I have several projects on the go, which means that I am knitting lots but not finishing anything. Some of these are Christmas gifts, so even when I finish them I can’t share them right away sadly.

In non knitting news, after a successful cthuhlu session the other week, we’re having another this week! Not going to lie, I have had incredible indecision on just how to go about killing/driving my players insane. So many choices, so few victims…

The new job role is going great – I’m pretty tired at the moment though as I’m using my brain lots! Lots of new things to learn as well as finally getting the answer to ‘why’ that I had in my previous role. The answer by the way is very long, very complex, and contains an awful lot of ‘for this specific device under these specific conditions…’

With that, I will see you all next week! Take care and stay safe!

(Oh, there was a typo on last posts wool count, I have redone the maths and it is all correct below!)

(And no, the typo was not the 25 in 25 balls of wool, I really did buy that much)

Wool Count

Starting total – 843

Wool used – 76 (8 since last update!)
Wool bought – 48
Wool given to me – 32 (3 as birthday gifts!)
Wool gifted to others – 1
Wool handspun – 3

Total – 849 (Net difference: +6)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 1 Comment

To explain the title of this post, Stray (the amazing post apocalyptic cat game) has of course swept through our house and we’ve all become obsessed with the adorable ginger kitty.

Then, when I went to type this post, I realised that B12 didn’t ever give the cat a name. The only time anything like a name was used, was by Momo, who called the kitty ‘Little Outsider’.

Anyway, why am I telling you all this?

Because of this:

I intend to knit his little harness and a tiny B12 to go with it so that he’s ready for Walled City 99!

In non knitting news, it has been a very busy two weeks – last week was the first cthuhlu session with a new gaming group, followed by three more days of socialising and catching up with friends. Then work, which was very busy as we had people on holiday plus three new starters all needing training.

This weekend saw more socialising of the kiddy kind as Felix’s birthday is this week. There was pokemon card playing with one friend, a sleepover with another, and Chester Zoo with that friend and Felix!

I am all socialed out. However…today is also the first day of my new role! I changed departments (not company) and today was my first official day! So socialising and learning lots of new things!

And with that, it’s an early night for me!

Wool Count

Starting total – 843

Wool used – 68
Wool bought – 48 (+25 there was a yarn sale at Abakhan and with me starting a new job!

Wool given to me – 32
Wool gifted to others – 1
Wool handspun – 3

Total – 846 (Net difference: +14, yeah…I fell off the wool wagon big style…)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 1 Comment

Who can resist a good Monty Python quote?

On to the blog however, where nobody would expect the sewing machine!

Ok ok, I will refrain from the pointy cushion and skip straight to the comfy chair!

Yep, I finally decided to turn an old set of curtains into an armchair and foot rest cover. It’s not perfect, far from it, but it looks good and does a better job than having said curtain just draped across it…

The kitties certainly approve – there was at least one fluffy menace either on the fabric or the chair the entire time I was trying to work on this!

After this achievement I’m feeling a bit braver about a few other projects I have lined up, ones that hopefully won’t take me so long to get around to doing…

Besides this, as well as a second armchair cover, I’ve been doing a lot of tidying, mending and one final big push with everything the garden has to offer. I have about three buckets of apples and probably three more of pears to sort through, but we’ll get to them when we get to them.

I’ve also picked up my spinning again. It’s slow progress, but it’s getting there. After getting covid my asthma has been bad to say the least, not quite but near the same level of bad as when I had pneumonia (and no, I am not an OAP, I was in my early thirties at that point) but with the increased inhaler use, and stringer inhalers too, I have a permanent shake. It’s not affected my knitting but a lot of my other crafts have struggled.

But I will persevere! I have grand plans that involve hand spun wool, and even more crafts, and the learning of new ones, so I will go on!

Unsurprisingly not a lot of knitting this week, so no finished projects and no wool used. The total hasn’t gone up either so I won’t bore you with the wool count.

Until next week, stay safe!

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