Phew!

It's been a busy couple of weekends! Having had a very intense month-and-a-half at work, I decided that I merited a wee break - one of the joys of working part-time is that I only need to take a few days leave to have a good spell away from the office. This, combined with all the lovely Bank Holidays we've just had recently (there was the four-day Easter weekend, followed by another four-day weekend courtesy of the Royal Wedding and May Day), meant that I've just had almost two weeks off - can't remember the last time that happened!

I took Miss A to 'chocolate heaven' (aka Brussels) for Easter weekend - a great opportunity to spend some quiet/quality time with both her and my parents. One of my oldest (and bestest) friends was also there - a great excuse for a reunion over a lovely Easter Sunday brunch and an easter egg hunt!


Just before we left London, I had managed to finish a little pair of socks for my friend's daughter, who just happens to share the same birthday as Miss A. I've given her mummy a few pairs now - and she's apparently been fascinated (and just a little jealous!). Time to redress the balance then!

I even have enough left (i.e. half the skein!) to make a pair for Miss A - in fact, she's getting quite desperate for a new pair, so I really must get a move on.....

Miss A had a special pair of bunny ears just for the occasion (yes, she has an easter egg planted firmly in her cheek!)

As you might be able to tell from the photos, we had the most amazing weather - I'm pretty sure it got to 30 degrees on the Sunday afternoon. A perfect excuse to sit on the terrace and run up a few crochet squares for SIBOL - amazing how many you can get from just a few balls of wool!



Then it was back to London for a few days of 'peace' and quiet before all the madness of the Royal Wedding. Miss A woke me on the morning of the Big Day at 6am, asking if it was time yet......thank goodness the BBC started broadcasting at 8am! But seriously, even though I'm hardly a supporter of the monarchy, it was a great show - the bride looked stunning, the couple looked so happy, and the crowds were pretty amazing. All in all, a great day!

Someone's been using my camera again........

......funny the photos you find on your camera when you've left if within easy reach for a few minutes!

Teddy Bear's Picnic

Look what I found when I walked into the living room this afternoon:

I just love the way she's lined all the animals up in straight lines......... :-)

Trio of Mysteries

I finished my first pair of SKA March Mystery socks on Tuesday night - these were already claimed by Mum during her visit last week. Which means I've already finished my first present for Christmas 2011 - mwah ha ha ha!! The colour is proving amazingly hard to photograph - but hopefully you get a good idea of the strawberry pinks, coral reds and mushroom browns:

I immediately started a 2nd pair for me (well, it's actually the 3rd pair as I have another one on the needles in a mix of browns and greens). That naughty skein of Dream in Color Smooshy (in Some Summer Sky) is finally behaving itself. Isn't it pretty?

The final part of the trilogy is this rather gorgeous design, Summer Blooms by Marcy Vandale. It's the April/May mystery sock for the Solid Socks group. I'm using Fleece Artist Sea Wool in a gorgeous shade of raspberry pink. It's a strange design - seems like a really slow knit, but actually goes very fast. I'm using 2.25mm needles for this one, as I wanted to see just how much firmer the fabric would be than with 2.5mm needles. I only have one circular needle in that size, which means I'll be forced to take this project nice and slow - makes a change :-)

My final contribution to the SKA March / Lace challenge month are these:

This is another yarn (Juno Fibre Arts Buffy Sock in 'Passion') that has been a little 'naughty' - I've tried knitting a shawl and a different pair of socks, with no luck. Don't get me wrong, I love this stuff: the colours are amazing, it's soft and squishy. The problem is that it's a little on the thin side, and I don't do so well with those. Case in point: these socks were supposed to be for my sick colleague (the one I made the uber-bright rainbow socks for, which never reached their destination.......) and they have come out waaaay too small for any full-grown adult. Thankfully, they will fit my best friend's 9-year-old daughter perfectly, so no trips to the frog pond this time around.

Stash enhancements

As I mentioned the other day, it's been a frustrating month project-wise. Funny how it often seems to go in stages - January and February were a breeze, with projects just zinging off my needles and then - crash! March has been one big brick wall of knitting frustration. In an attempt to 'relieve the tension', I might have acquired a teeny little bit more stash in order to hopefully trigger a return of the mojo...... First up, some self-striping goodies that will become simple ribbed socks so as to maximise the 'show of colour':

Katia Ole Socks Gaudi - this is going to be so much to knit!

Jojoland Melody Superwash in a lovely mix of tweedy greens

(I have a purple colourway coming too, which I am ludicrously excited about)

Zitron Trekking in a heart-warming mix of purples,

browns and a flash of orange

Then we have the really good stuff - yes, more Hazel Knits! I tell you, Christine has a lot to answer for - but in the nicest possible way of course..... Wendee, the owner of Hazel Knits often puts up 'Naughty/Knotty' skeins in her shop - these are skeins that have a knot or flub in the strand. The marked-down prices make them incredibly good value - and the 'annoyance' of dealing with a knot is really so minor in comparison.... Anway, imagine my delight at picking up the following the other day:

Cabbage Rose

Terrywinkle

Now the hard part: having to choose the 'right' patterns for them!

A jolly good show

Even if I say so myself, the Great Birthday Party shindig was a roaring success:

I had them all making sparkly tiaras from a kit I found on Amazon (love that site!) which kept them wonderfully occupied for the first hour or so:

Then there was the 'feast', with all the accompanying Hello Kitty decorations and tableware:

And, of course, there was CAKE:

I almost had a heart attack when I went to pick this up and saw how big it was......carrying it home on the bus was a little nerve-wracking, but totally worth the look on Miss A's face when I opened up the box!

After all that, there was much mischief and merriment with all the balloons Mr. A had spent the morning blowing up:

Mummy is now going to have a large glass of wine and an early night..........

Not green!

Cast on: 1 March 2011
Cast off: 23 March 2011
Pattern: Oviatt by Melissa Goodale
Yarn: Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in Hoppy Blonde
Needles: 2.5mm Magic Loop

Well, I did say that the next pair of socks shouldn't/couldn't be green didn't I?

To be honest, there were times this month when I seriously wondered if I would actually finish a pair of socks this month.

In addition to Oviatt (which was amazingly easy to do, by the way), I also started a pair of Thelonious in Dream in Color Smooshy in Some Summer Sky. I got to the bottom of the leg and they were faaaaar too tight, so that attempt got frogged.

I then used the same yarn to start a pair of Rick socks - only to be reminded exactly why I've never been really enamoured of that pattern (I don't like all the holes).

Third time around, I started another pair of Thelonious using some Juno Fibre Arts Buffy Sock in a lovely mix of purples - nope, that pattern has definitely got me licked.

Sometimes, Cookie A. patterns work a treat, other times they are just completely beyond my already over-loaded cerebral capacity......however, I still very much want to make a pair of Thelonious, so keep watching :-)