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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting No Comments

You know the christening shawl I shared last week? The little one who it’s for is referred to as Gnome.

You gnome what is about to happen, cause I will keep making puns till the cows come gnome if I can get away with it!

The featured knit of this week is knit following the free pattern: The Scrappy Gnome Hat by Melody Lisa and was super quick on 9mm needles. Truth be gnome, I was so deep in the knit gnome with the christening shawl I had forgotten Engels request to sneak in a gnome hat too. So a quick knit was a win in that regard!

That, and I was desperate to knit with anything that wasn’t lace weight or white by that point!

As you can see here the gnome hat is lovingly modelled by Snorlax as he was the only thing with the correct head size on hand. Since this photo, we now have a second Snorlax – a squish mallow one! To go with my Gengar and Inklings Pikachu.

Theres not much else to say right now…there’s been a lot going on, but nothing I’m willing to share…

Oh well, perhaps I will have more to say next post! Until then, stay safe!

Starting total – 880

Wool used – 24 (+3)
Wool bought – 13 (+2, but needed for the new large project)
Wool given to me – 13
Wool gifted to others – 3
Wool handspun – 2

Total – 881 (Net difference: +1)

So close to breaking even with the start of the year! Can I make it for next post?!

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 1 Comment

No, really, there’s no finished projects to share, and no in progress photos either…

There is currently three big projects on the needles right now:

1 – This years Christmas decorations (100 is the aim, and these are worked on between projects, so nothing solid to show)

2 – Party favours for Inklings b’day (40 is the aim, and these are my out and about project. About halfway through so maybe a sneak peek next week?)

3 – A christening shawl for a friends little ones christening. This is a big beast, and as its lace, has to really be done at home, with concentration and decent light…its creeping along…but creeping is progress!

Aside from that its been an amazing Easter weekend. There has been Easter trails, egg hunts, exploring new places and catching up with old friends. The weather was fairly good for us, and much fun was had. Cant ask for more!

As an additional aside, it was mine and Engels 11th wedding Anniversary this weekend, and in a remarkably sweet gesture, and inspired I think with all the Easter egg hunts, he bought and with the help of our little terrors, hid 11 balls of wool for me to find.

Not gonna lie, I had far too much fun looking and finding them all! The kids were set to burst they were trying so hard not to ‘help’ me find them!

And with that, I bid you farewell until next post. Stay safe, and I hope you’ve had as much fun this weekend as me!

Starting total – 880

Wool used – 9 (+1)
Wool bought – 11
Wool given to me – 13 (+11 for my anniversary)
Wool gifted to others – 3
Wool handspun – 2

Total – 894 (Net difference: +14)

(I need to cracking on with the wool count, that’s not looking for the year!)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 1 Comment

This is very much a ‘mummy can make that’ kind of post, except it’s more ‘the Mrs can make that’…

A long story short, I made tiny MOSFETs for Christmas gifts at work.

A colleague of both mine and Engels will be having their first baby in the not too distant future.

Engel: You need to knit the baby a MOSFET!

Me: Like the Christmas ones?

Engel: Yeah, but bigger! And cuter!

I’m hoping this one meets that criteria! It’s 16cm by 22cm so he’s plenty big.

Going to call it now on the blog post – still recovering from the other weekend and the one just gone has been super busy getting my little mischief makers ready for school today!

Also, no wool count as no changes.

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 1 Comment

First of all, my apologies for not blogging last week. I was getting down to the wire with the project I am about to show you, and all distractions where thoroughly being cast aside.

My sister Rabbie summarises the day brilliantly on her blog post here, but in my own telling of events, this is how it went:

Last year: My sister Rabbie: We had an amazing time at a Vikings event in Duncarron! You have got to come to the next one!

Me: Definitely!

Still last year: My sister Rabbie: We had an amazing time at a Jacobites event in Duncarron! You have got to come to the next one!

Me: Definitely! Just, more warning next time!

Still last year, again: My sister Rabbie: We had an amazing time at a Pirates event in Duncarron! You have got to come to the next one!

Me: Right, that’s it, next time for sure!

And I waited. And waited. And waited…

Finally! The first event of the year, and it was through the ages, right up until WW2 this time! Amazing! When? End of summer holidays? We’ll make it happen.

So, vikings, what do we need to make?

Only…no vikings. And with only a few weeks to go…WW2 it was! The kids were child evacuees, complete with knitted sweater vests, and myself and Engel would be homeguard. My sister joined the theme and, after a lot of coaxing, nudging and nearly pleading, she was bullied into making a full on red cross nurse propoganda outfit. If you haven’t looked at her blog yet, you must, it’s beautiful.

My fur niece also matched!

Was I to be outdone? Of course not. Much deep diving of the internet and I got hold of some scans of actual 1940s magazines, complete with knitting patterns. Then I saw it, and I knew it had to be knit.

Did you know Betty Davis was. Knitwear model in 1941? She was, and apparently this was her favourite pattern as it was ‘as warm as toast and ever so smart’.

It was actually too warm on the day to actually wear it, but seeing my two battle with knights, challenge a centurion, play the drums with a Jacobite and ask million questions and then get answers was more than worth it.

However, I would have liked to have stayed at the women’s war effort stall, with it’s beautiful handknits, photographs of original patterns and even a few actual knits knitted during the war time for maybe a few more hours…

And with that, I am going to recover for the rest of the week. Maybe start looking at some historically accurate viking clothing / costumes… Hmm… They raised sheep and made their own cloth from the wool… And they had their own form of ancient knitting…

Perhaps I shall follow that rabbit hole and see where it leads…

Until next post, keep safe!

Wool Count

Starting total – 843

Wool used – 68 (11 since last update!)
Wool bought – 23
Wool given to me – 32 (3 as birthday gifts!)
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

So I imagine for those who read last week’s post that the first thing you want to know is:

What did the Reliability Raptor get called? Well, drumroll!

Flapjack.

Yep. Flapjack.

An independent audience (friends and kids) picked the top three names – Dendrite, Roar-y and Flapjack – and Flapjack won. There was lemon cake as a celebration and…

This little tiny cutie decided to follow her mum and come to work too and be the main prize. For those curious, I modified Bag of Troodons from ‘knitted dinosaurs’ by Tina Barrett to match the velociraptor in colour and fluffy wool.

Immediately the competitive atmosphere was in full swing debating a name for what I was calling ‘Flapjack Jr’, much to my initial surprise.

But you know…

I think Flapjack and Cupcake make a very cute pair.

In non knitting news, the blog is a day late due to Engels work commitments (drinking beer with his work counterpart from the German branch) but a good laugh was had by all.

My mum was supposed to visit this weekend gone but, alas, finally caught covid despite avoiding it this entire time. So we had a very spur of the moment type weekend which had me giving Felix and her best friend knitting lessons during a heritage diesel train engines day!

They are both doing amazing! And I blame them both entirely for once more falling off the band wagon and purchasing some wool they both felt was ‘amazing’, and some they thought was ‘awesome’ and a few that where ‘squee! It’s so fluffy!’

Thats why there are nine more balls of wool in my stash. Though I have used three this week. But still.

Eventually I’ll have the same number of balls of wool that I started with this year! Maybe. Hopefully.

Wool Count

Starting total – 843

Wool used – 54 (3 since last post!)
Wool bought – 32 (9 new balls…)
Wool given to me – 27
Wool gifted to others – 1
Wool handspun – 3

Total – 850 (Net difference: +7 Sigh…)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

Who doesn’t love a good play on words?

So, to rewind, the morale in my team got pretty low – I won’t go into details, but let’s just say that it only needs one bad apple to spoil everything – and as such I wanted to boost moral.

Rewind further back, and there was talk of the big, big, big boss visiting our site, and what could we do, as a team, to stand out? There was several serious suggestions and then the more silly ones… How about a motto? And if we have a motto, we need a mascot, right?

So Engel and I got nattering and I asked if he could think of anything – he was thinking on mottos and I was thinking on mascots…after a lot of back and forth, Engel came up with the best ideas…

“Device will find a way” – a play on “Life will find a way” which is from Jurassic Park, and for the mascot…

The Reliability Raptor. As I work in Reliability and Raptor begins with “R” and Jurassic Park… It was tenuous enough we had a laugh and left it at that. Then with morale being low…

Time to get Operation Theropod Trouble underway!

And here it is, the Reliability Raptor, knitted following the pattern Velociraptor by Tina Barrett from the book ‘Knitted Dinosaurs’.

And yes, I know it doesn’t look like the one from Jurassic Park, but that’s because I wanted something more scientifically accurate – and who can resist fluffy wool?

So last week, this little guy came to work, with his credentials and a cute smile and well, by the end of the week morale was better than normal!

A contest to decide his/her name was run last week, and the top three are now being voted on this week. So next post I’ll be able to tell you if this guy is called Dendrite, Roar-y or Flapjack.

In non knitting news, I saw Rammstein the weekend before last, which is why there was no blog post in Monday. I was feeling far too tired, and needed to nurse my poor throat from losing my voice shouting/singing at the concert…

It was amazing!

And on that note, I shall leave you all until next week!

Wool Count

Starting total – 843

Wool used – 51 (3 since last post!)
Wool bought – 23
Wool given to me – 27
Wool gifted to others – 1
Wool handspun – 3

Total – 844 (Net difference: +1 I’m nearly at my starting total!!!)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

Apologies for not posting last week, it was, well, a week. A week on top of a month on top of a year.

If it wasn’t for the fact I have my hopes pinned on a number of upcoming events, I would start declaring ‘roll on 2023!’

My health has been an ongoing issue, its my lungs, and now also my nose. I genuinely don’t know how my sister Rabbie put up with the near constant nose bleeds she used to get as a child… The problem has been identified, (I never want a camera shoved up my nose and down my throat ever, ever again!) and although minor, it does mean surgery at some point ahead.

Surgery where they have to knock me out. I don’t like being unconscious on an operating table, but I was laughed at when I enquired about just having a local maybe…?

But this isn’t the straw that broke the camel’s back. What finished me off was the frantic and panicked news from my mother in law that the had been burgled. The only thing taken was the car keys and the car itself, but it’s given us all a good fright and has caused a lot of upset and toppled a lot of plans.

The insurance has coughed up a temporary car after many, many phone calls, and after many more explaining why an elderly couple required children’s seats, managed to get that sorted to.

Bless, my mother in law was still upset though that out of everything that was lost in the car, the seat belt covers I had knit years and years ago we’re lost and couldn’t be replaced.

Cant be replaced? Ha!

She was very happy to receive these!

Now, the post I meant to post last week, was about the cute and demanding Princess Poppy. I’ve explained the story before about how this 14 year old cranky sweetheart arrived, and how a few hearts where broken in her wake, so I decided to make these:

Want to see them with the princess herself?

And with that, I shall bid you farewell. Its been a very fun but hectic weekend just gone, and there’s much more fun and chaos planned for the one coming up!

Until next post, stay safe!

Starting total – 843

Wool used – 35 (1 since last post)
Wool bought – 34 (Engel took pity on me and bought me 11 balls of wool, four of which are particularly soft and squishy!)
Wool given to me – 16
Wool gifted to others – 1
Wool handspun – 3

Total – 861 (Net difference: +17 – maybe I should just give up on the wool count this year…)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

I think I can safely say, with complete honesty, in both heart and mind, that I am burned out.

Or as Engels current favourite T-Shirt says, Error 404, out of Meow-tivation…

Which actually ties into the only thing I’ve managed to work on and finish:

The pattern used for the hat is a free pattern – Two by Two by Anne Gagnon – which makes for a lovely, stretchy hat that can fit both a little head as well as a big head. Apart from Engel. I had to add extra stitches.

And once more, I find myself writing a blog post where I lament knitting a hat for his giant XXL motorcycle helmet sized head and how I won’t knit another again…until forget and knit him one regardless.

I added my generic fluffy ears on top and he finally has a masculine hat, with cat ears, that actually fits him just right…

And on that note, I bid you farewell until next week, when I will hopefully have my Meow-tivation back again…

Stay safe!

Starting total – 843

Wool used – 34 (1 since last post)
Wool bought – 23
Wool given to me – 16
Wool gifted to others – 1
Wool handspun – 3

Total – 851 (Net difference: +7 – still working on this!)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

Dont believe me?

And yes, that is a tiny bihorn hat he’s wearing. “What about his army?” I hear you ask…

There it is, marching one hundred strong! “But what of his enemy?” I hear you ask…

There she is! The Evil Empress Poppy!!!

Ok, I may have gone just a little, teeny tiny, bit mad, but who wouldn’t after knitting so many polar bears?!

(Pattern btw is free, it’s Polar Bear by The Knit Cafe Toronto.)

The purpose of these is to be Christmas ornaments for Christmas 2022, after I discovered 60 penguins wasn’t enough last Christmas. I was 12 short, so I planned on 80 polar bears.

Then Rabbie suggested it should be a centurion of polar bears, a polar bear garrison if you will.

And then I got brain fog with covid and there was 101. So the extra became Na-polar-eon at Engels insistence and the chaos ensued…

You have probably guessed that things have returned to normal, and I use normal very loosely here, in my household and yeah, it is, slowly. We’re all tiring out a bit too quick, and I have some issues with my lungs but other than that, yeah, getting there.

Its been a welcome break to the plague or drama or something or another.

In non knitting news, I’ve been dabbling in other fabric crafts – nothing too exciting, but it’s been fun doing some upcycling!

Will leave it here for now as I have cthulhu to prep, and I will convienently not mention that I bought six more balls of wool at the weekend – these are for a project coming up, honest!

Starting total – 843

Wool used – 32 (3 since last post)
Wool bought – 23 (Up 6)
Wool given to me – 16
Wool gifted to others – 1
Wool handspun – 3

Total – 852 (Net difference: +9 – really need to work on this!)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

Remeber how I said last week that it was a short post as I was super busy? Well, sit down, grab a cuppa, and let me regale you on my adventures.

Last Monday saw me in Wales, we had arranged last year to have an Easter holidays trip there with my good friends J and S, their first date and his eventual proposal to her took place in Cricceth and all of her childhood holidays were in Wales.

I was flattered that they invited myself and the whole family to spend a week with them, though I was also worried that they had bitten off more than they could chew with having my two little terrors in tow…

After watching my two use S as a climbing frame and then make a sand dragon with him, I knew this worry was unfounded. Only three days after the holiday and they’re already trying to organise the next with us so clearly it was a good holiday for them!

There was a beach trip every day, the weather actually held long enough for this every day to my amazement, with sand dragons and sand cats and rock pooling (Engel found several fish, crabs and shrimps) and of course, shell collecting. I managed to find the perfect one, shown in the photo above, as a button for my sea urchin inspired tea cosie.

The ball of wool that I mentioned that I had purchased on Monday was for this very project – I had spied a naked teapot when rummaging around the cottages cupboards and my terrors had spotted a dried sea urchin on the shelves. Some banter later and I was convinced to knit a sea urchin tea cosie as a thank you gift.

I winged the pattern in the end, but it was initially based off a free Ravelry hat pattern Sea Urchin by Robin Celli

Other activities in Wales was the rabbit farm (I fed alpacas, and managed not to steal them!) Lots of beach visits, some rambling, the slate museum, two different little mini railways and a visit to the Naked Spinner where I bought some very nice coloured fleece…

It was sad to see the holiday end, but it was immediately followed by a wool show near Mrs Ratman, and I only walked out with 6 balls of wool. I showed great restraint!!!

However…I may have just found out that I had won a prize draw that I entered…when that arrives, I’ll go over it then.

There was an Easter trail yesterday with another friend and her little one which knackered me out…but the kids had a ball. Or an egg?

One other thing happened this week, but that is something I will go over at a different time.

Till next week, take care!

Starting total – 843

Wool used – 28 (1 since last post)
Wool bought – 8 (Up by 6!)
Wool given to me – 13
Wool gifted to others –0
Wool handspun – 3 (I got the spinning bug and whipped up two pretty skeins)

Total – 833 (Net difference: -4)

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