Knackered.......

I have survived my first three weeks back at work - but only just! Exhaustion doesn't even come close.....aside from the physical / mental adjustment of having to actually concentrate properly for whole days at a time, there is an unbelievable amount of information to take on board. I've spent 7 of the last 10 days in training, with another two next week - and then I will be 'live' - feel sorry for those poor customers who come face-to-face with me next Wednesday!

In the meantime, all has most definitely not been quiet on the creative front :-)

First up, some winter warmers...these were most definitely NOT planned, but given that I started work during the worst cold snap that the UK has experienced since 1963 (apparently), I quickly realised that I needed something to keep my head and neck warm when waiting at the bus stop.

So, I have finished a hat and started a scarf. The hat is made using Mini Mochi yarn from Crystal Palace (colourway Violets Rainbow). This is gorgeously soft and comes in wonderful colours - but is not something I would choose to knit with again - it feels very fragile when you're knitting it and I was terrified of it breaking....

The scarf is being made using Mille Colori yarn by Lang Wools - my lovely Mum gave me these as a 'sort-of' Christmas present. I have two balls of a grey/aqua mix and two balls of a pink/berry mix - this probably sounds like a horrible combination, but thanks to a great pattern (Noro Striped Scarf by Jared Flood) and the long colour changes, I think it's coming out rather beautifully:

I have also finished yet another pair of socks - these are Wanida by Cookie A, and they were made using gorgeous yarn from The Knitting Goddess. This was a custom-dye colourway that I asked her to dye for me back in the summer of 2009 - I decided it was time I finally used it, and I'm really pleased with the results!

And the charity project is still going strong - I have made a few more squares (I think my total so far is now 10 squares) and an adorable little baby jacket, using the Bombay Love pattern from Ravelry. This was made using the scrummy aran-weight wool from Babylonglegs

Oh, and Ladybird? I have started your gloves - but you might not actually get them, coz they are coming out gorgeous!!!

Giving something back

So, after the last post (which was a little self-centred perhaps?), I had a bit of an epiphany on New Year's Day....

While browsing through the boards of a new UK-based group on Ravelry, I discovered this amazing charity project called Knit-A-Square. Basically, you knit or crochet as many 8" squares as you fancy and then ship them off to Soweto in South Africa. Once they have arrived there, they are assembled into blankets which are then distributed to the many, many AIDs orphans.

To quote from the Knit-A-Square site, "the AIDs orphans in South Africa belong to one of the fastest-growing, but least desirable groups of children in need, on the earth. Every 14 seconds a child will become a orphan."

Well, if that is not enough to make you want to do something to help, then I don't know what is.....

So, duly inspired, I trawled through my stash and pulled out all the yarns / leftovers that I thought would work for crochet granny squares. I wound them all up (have I mentioned how much I love my ball winder??), doubling-up the DK weights and winding the sock yarn into quadruple thickness (does that last bit make sense? hmmm...). I now have a bag full of lovely, multi-coloured balls, ready for pulling out on a Saturday morning to be turned into a square.

Yes, I've decided that my first priority for Saturday mornings in 2010 will be to make a square before I work on any of my other projects.

Since then, I have managed to whip up a total of six squares (I've managed to amaze even myself!):

More to come over the next few weeks / months, I'm sure!