Aptly named!

Today is really rather grey, drizzly and miserable.  I have one of those dull headaches that can only be blamed on the weather (and also slightly on the bickering children and very severe lack of sleep!) 

As such, today is very much fuelled by coffee and yarn cakes...

This has become my new easy knitting project and is the fabulous Westknits Doodler in Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light.  

I've also been knitting away on my Yarndale shawl - Semele in Wollmeise Pure "Wasabi" - and am on the last increase repeat (about halfway!)   No pictures though as the lace looks as ridiculously naff as all unblocked lace does!!  

On a completely none knitting related post, I received this gorgeousness in the post today.

It's a belated gift from the husbeast as, after what is now 6 months waiting, it seems like I am not going to be getting the yarn winder I ordered for my birthday/anniversary/mothers day gift.  I have been lusting after some Mary Greenwell perfume for ages and actually went and got some for myself last month.  I have had a bit of a thing for scents since I met DH, who started it all by buying me my first expensive perfumes!  My tastes have changed significantly since the 90's though and nowadays I tend to stick to just a few different scents and like my winged eye liner, I wear perfume every day.  I initially really wanted the Mary Greenwell Lemon but was really underwhelmed when I tested it - I wanted in your face citrus but didn't get it.  Cherry however was love at first sniff!  Plum was a close second so I'm so pleased to add this to my collection! 

FO Friday

It counts if they have been finished for a while but I just haven't got round to photographing them, right?!

My Pebble Beach Shawl (by Helen Stewart/Curious Handmade) was complete ages ago, however, I have yet to find anywhere in this garden to use for photographs so it's sadly been sat here, loved but undocumented!  That and the fact that the Merino/Silk 50/50 blend I dyed in HOT HOT pink is a complete arse to photograph!

This is the medium size and took 488m of fingering weight yarn.  It's such a simple yet stunning shawl which really works well to showcase beautiful skeins of yarn!

I also FINALLY completed my Avalanche Sweater!!  I rather aptly renamed this the Friday Sweater as it became my "knit whilst talking/drinking/socialising" project and was generally only worked on on a Friday.  After completing the body with an icord finish I was really worried that the rolling would reduce the length too much as I had adapted the pattern to an a-line body with a straight hem that hit at the belly button/hip.  Thankfully blocking has eliminated the severe roll it was exhibiting and I have to say I LOVE IT!!  Even in my current fatter size it still fits perfectly and the knitted fabric feels divine - I could do with an entire wardrobe of these!  No action shots as yet (although I already have the most perfect full circle black skirt to wear with it) so these very poor hanger shots in the garden will have to do - I think I need pretty wooden hangers if I'm going to make any more garments...or a dress form!

Hmm, what else have I been up to?  Very little yarn buying as I am still on my Pre-Yarndale Yarn Diet.  I did succumb to buying a gorgeous skein of Hedgehog Fibres Sock in Jelly from a Ravelry Destash last week but otherwise I have been very good on the yarn buying front!

At the beginning of the month I finally got my nose pierced - something I've wanted to have done since I was 17!  I was always very much restricted by work though and whilst I have had numerous other piercings and tattoos, I haven't had anything done since I was 21.  I have to say I was more nervous of being completely out of place, getting a piercing at my age than anything else and it was, as my other piercings all have been, a piece of cake (now what else can I get done?!)

Back to the knitting front, having cast off my Avalanche, I started on my Semele Shawl which is also for wearing at Yarndale.  I've made a Semele previously as a 60th birthday present for my mother-in-law, so knew how stunning the pattern was.  I've gone for Wollmeise Pure in Wasabi which should contrast nicely with the colour of the Avalanche - and I also oddly, have no other green shawls!  I've completed two repeats of the leaf increase chart so far and will be aiming for 4-5 increase repeats I think before the centre repeat and then an equal number of decrease repeats. I did three repeats last time and used around 80g of a 400m skein of sock yarn so have significantly more yardage to play with this time.

I was also hit with a spot of castonitis and in need of a simple project for Friday's again - so cast on my Westknits Doodler in a combination of stunning neons and black skeins of Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light (Fluro Rose, Edison Bulb and a skein of Twig I overdyed black) Excuse the rather washed out phone photo!

Right - I think that's me up to date!  I'm off to do a bit more knitting whilst avoiding the fact I need to drag a super king size mattress down two flights of stairs - our new mattress was delivered this morning and I'm looking forward to a much better nights sleep - from exhaustion if nothing else!

Still Sweater - ing*

*in that I am still knitting a sweater - not to be confused with sweating!

I can't believe it's been so long since I blogged - time really does just disappear, generally in this house at the moment in a haze of snot and rain!  It really does feel like we're all passing around one cold after another this year and I spent a vast amount of last week with a rather miserable sinusitis/chest infection combination that I'm still suffering the after effects of.  If only mucus production counted as weight loss!

Whilst binge watching iZombie on Netflix, I have slowly but steadily been working on the very mindless knitting that is my Avalanche sweater.  With Yarndale creeping closer, I'm determined to both finish this and a new shawl especially for the occasion.

After deciding to opt for a hip length straight hem, I worked the body until I had completed 9 increases (increasing every 15 rows from the initial point indicated in the pattern)

I finished the body with an i-cord bind off.  However, I am slightly concerned that there is a significant rolling of the hem which is really reducing the length - so I may well add to the length if, after a wash and a block, I feel it's too short (this is despite constant trying on whilst working on the body)  That said, I am currently a tad (lot!) heavier than I was when I started knitting this so am hoping that losing some of my "no longer breastfeeding" weight gain will also help!

I've also completed the neck, which comprises picking up a gazillion stitches from around the neck and added 1 x 1 rib.  I'm now working on the sleeves - which I'm aiming for just below elbow length as I scrunch all my sleeve up to there anyway!  There was a grand total of 110g (so just over 575m) left of my 324g skein of Wollmeise Lace Garn so I'm really impressed that I can get an entire sweater in my size from one skein.

Fingers crossed I shall be finished soon and then I can continue to work on my Aisling border and decided what to knit as my Yarndale shawl!!  I was originally thinking a Semele in Wollmeise Pure in Wasabi but am very likely to change me mind!!

Craft Corner Revamp

Who knew getting a desk delivered could be such a palaver!  After several courier issues and returned parcels, I finally received my desk this week.  It was a welcome distraction from having a stinking cold for my birthday (and having to wait in for a courier who didn't turn up all day!)

It didn't take me long to assemble and rearrange my corner :)

Let's ignore how dusty my wheel is!  The drawers are perfect for housing all my interchangeable needle cases on one side and the other side is pencil cases and stationary.  My laptop fits perfectly in the middle, leaving me a clear desk top for knitting, journalling or other crafting.  I'm hoping it'll be useful for photographs too.

The basket's underneath house my Wollmeise stash and new-to-the-stash yarns (all my stash is rather unattractively housed in individual grip seal bags but at least that way they are safe from cats and moths!) as well as my meagre fibre stash, spindles and niddy noddies.

My currently in use handmade fauxdori's and Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter  have a bit of pride of place - plus I'm hoping that having such easy access to them will encourage me to get back to using them much more.  My pen pot does not match at all lol but houses my most regularly used pens - mainly Stabilo Point 88's.  My fountain pens are stashed away in the drawers and my Staedlter stash and Faber Castell pencil stash have their own drawer in my Expedit - the rest of which houses rather excessive amounts of yarn that is really needs more room or to be destashed!

Apparently I should point out that this is just my knitting, spinning and drawing/journalling stash.  My sewing stash including my machine and overlocker, all my cross stitch and rather large stamping and paper crafting (all sadly now very neglected) stash are on shelving in the garage - taking up supposed precious space in the garage hehe!

So, hopefully I can grab a few more productive hours now I have a much more usable space!  The rest of this week has been far from productive though - apart from waiting in for what feels like endless couriers and having yet another cold to match the miserable weather - I have managed to reseal the bath (again, another palaver with the first lot of silicone sealant being off and unusable - which I found out in Sunday afternoon once all the shops were shut!) and do a lot of therapeutic baking!

I got a lovely gift from Carla for my birthday - special chocolate that was kept hidden from the children and some amazing Lime Rainbow yarn from Mothy and the Squid.

Knitting wise I'm still working on my Aisling Shawl border as well as my Avalance sweater (for mindless knitting - unlike the Aisling which is a mixture of cables and lace that I cannot memorise!)   I'm hoping to finish the Aisling in the next couple of weeks if I can plan in more knitting - no excuses now I have my own space but sadly it hasn't given me oodles more time!