Three!!!

My wonderful, smart, inquisitive, loving, articulate, creative little girl is three. Where have the years gone. It seems only yesterday that we welcomed this tiny little person into our home and our hearts.


Happy Birthday Sweetie! We love you!

Southern Summer of Socks

I have just signed up for the Southern Summer of Socks, I think I have mentioned before that I have only knit one pair of socks in my life and I have been wanting to learn a few new things and get a few new pair of socks. I would like to stretch my wings a little and try my hand at some toe up socks and some pretty lace ones. So The Firstarter, Spring Forward and Spindle Socks are at the top of my Ravelry queue. I don't think I am being too ambitious trying to finish these four pair (including the No Tears for my sister) be the end of the Summer. At least I will try my best, but with a Husband, two small children and a house to look after I am not promising anything.

How did I celebrate such an occasion? By ripping out the No Tears Socks I was working on for my lil sister's birthday! I need to go up a needle size because they were turning out too small. I had been thinking that since about half way down the leg, but continued hoping I was wrong. I turned the heel and tried them on and the are too small for me, so would be super tight on lil sis (her feet are wider than mine). She wasn't getting them for her birthday anyway because Noo let the cat out of the bag and she is expecting them. So she will get them for Christmas. Gotta find some 2.5mm needles first.

It has been a little crazy around here the last couple of days, with Soldier away and the changes in time due to daylight savings. GRRRRR! I just can't seem to get us back into some kind of routine. Noo didn't go to bed until 9.30 last night. Pity she didn't sleep in this morning.

They Boy has learned to roll over. Now, most babies perfect the rolling from tummy to back first. Not my little one, he has decided to go for it and learn to roll from back to tummy. Such a pity that he hates being on his belly and he can't roll back yet. So what is a boy to do? Scream the house down until I come and roll him over, and just for kicks he immediately rolls over again.

Friends again, we are!!

Well it seems that Hey, Teach! has spent enough time in the naughty corner. I dug it out the other day and I am very happy to say that I have two sleeves. WooHoo!!! I have worked out how to read my knitting too. Look, aren't I clever??


I am up to the ribbing on the back, after 20 cm of stockinette, and almost ready to start the lace again.

The Naughty Corner

I have been eyeing off Hey, Teach ever since I saw it on Knitty. Being a very, very new knitter, I have never attempted anything in lace before, and I anticipated a few teething problems along the way. However, I see myself as a resourceful person and I was sure that I would be able to find the answers to all my questions.

I cast on for the sleeve using Patons Washed Haze Aran. I read somewhere that some people use the sleeve to swatch, and because I am lazier than lazy these days, it sounded like a wonderful idea to me. I sucessfully cast on with a two strand tubular cast on - which I have never used before, and knit the ribbing. Then started the lace pattern. The yarn overs weren't a problem, and once I worked out how to read the pattern I was flying, for me anyway. Until I reached the purl row after row seven of the pattern. I realised that I had missed a yarn over, so I tinked back to the place where the yarn over was supposed to be, did the yarn over and continued on my merry way. Then I got to the same row in the pattern and realised that I had missed the damn yarn over again. So I put the knitting down gently and backed away slowly and went to do something completely different.

Let me just say that leaving your knitting on the couch when you have a nearly three year old running around, is not the greatest idea. I came back and the needles were missing. I found the few rows that I managed to knit, sitting on the couch laughing at me and the needles MISSING!!! After locating the missing needles - in the bathtub - don't ask, I don't know either! - I came back to the couch with some trepidation. What I found was the ribbing and three rows. I could have cried. I have to admit that I nearly walked away forever, I thought knitting was supposed to be fun. I was NOT having fun.

Because I can't let anything beat me I picked up the measly few rows and got it back on the needles, and began again. Guess what happened when I got to row seven again. Go on, guess. Yep, missed the yarn over. So now Hey, Teach is in the naughty corner until I can muster some strength to disipline it enough to continue.

In better news, after having to fight Soldier for the use of his laptop, I finally have one of my own, and he wants it because it is apparently better than his. He is not getting his dirtly little mitts on it. It is all mine, mine I tell you!!! Oh and it's purple!

The Postie Delivers

So I guess there is no hiding the fact that there was some sock yarn purchasing going on over here. I ordered these from Yarnomat, and can I just say as a first time sock yarn buyer and a first time online orderer, I am a very happy camper.

Crystal Palace Yarns - Bamboo Wool
51% Bamboo, 39% Wool and 10% Nylon
Misty Greens


Crystal Palace Yarns - Maizy
82% Corn Fibre, 18% Elastic Nylon
Stormy Purple


Crystal Palace Yarns - Bamboo Silk
52% Bamboo, 43% Superwash Merino Wool, 5% Combed Silk
Jade Tones

I have knit two pairs of socks in my entire life. One in an 8 ply acrylic just to see if I could actually do it, needless to say they turned out really badly. It wasn't the pattern or the construction, it was the yarn.My Mum has those, she loves them. Although I must say that it is probably more about the fact that I made them.

The other pair is a bright red 100% wool pair for Noo. She loves them and I have to admit that I am pretty happy with them too. Whenever someone comments on them to her, she very proudly states that "Mummy made them".

I have never knitted an adult pair with sock yarn, and when trying to decide what to get my little sister for her birthday next month, I remembered a little conversation I had with her ages ago, in which she said that she would like a pair of handknit socks, and being the loving sister that I am, I decided to knit some up for her. She loves purple, so the Maizy is being turned into No Tears Socks. Not too bad so far. I have done one complete repeat and I am really happy with them. The pattern is really simple and the ribbing will hopefully make for a sock that doesn't fall down.

Happy Father's Day!

Today is Father's Day.

Happy Father's Day to the wonderful, caring, and very handsome Soldier. We love you! And a very happy Father's Day to my Pa. And to all the other wonderful Fathers out there.

We are finally settling in around here. I managed to fit everything into two large packing cartons. They were very, very full and I am extremely surprised that the boxes stayed intact and the contents didn't end up all over the back of the truck.

I am also amazed that the zip on my large purple suitcase didn't bust open. I had visions of a broken case and the contents including my underwear going round and round on the baggage carousel, and me walking away, very embarrased and making a trip to Westfield to buy a whole new wardrobe. Soldier said I should have added an occy strap. Very classy.

There has been some knitting around here, and may or may not have been some sock yarn purchasing. We will have to see if the postie delivers anything or not.

I spent last night watching a couple of movies with Soldier and Noo, and working on a little hat for The Boy.



It is the Little Cables Hat by Claudine over at Knitting Box. I used some 4ply 100% wool that I rescued from a horrible hat that I crocheted The Boy before he was born. Thankfully I saw the light and frogged it before he had to explain to his friends what it was all about. Babies can, and frequently do talk to other babies about their headwear, you know.

Thanks Claudine, it is the cutest little hat. I love the little cables. The pattern is really easy, but not too boring because of the added twist.

It is a little on the small side, luckily the weather is starting to warm up around here, so he won't need it for long.

After Noo saw it she insisted that I make her one as well. So out came the 5 ply Bendy (ravelry link) and I have cast on.

There has been another little girl welcomed to our extended family. My cousin and his wife welcomed little E on the 28th and they are all doing very well. So along with the Color Me, I decided to make a little washcloth.


This one is the Knitted 'E' Cloth. Made with two strands of Sullivans Cotone (ravelry link) held together on 4mm needles.

And because I thought it looked great, I made one for The Boy.


Baby Feet Cloth. Made with two strands of Sullivans Cotone held together on 4mm needles, again. I still have about 5 balls of this stuff. I see a few more washcloths on the horizon. Please ignore the stupid twisted stitches. I didn't notice them until I had bound off, and I couldn't be bothered ripping it back to fix it. I can live with it. I hope you can too.

Enjoy what is left of your weekend.

One of those days...

I am home.

Finally.

I have only unpacked one box.

It isn't the box with my knitting stuff in it.

It is the box with all the kids toys.

They are currently strewn from one end of the house to the other.

At least it is from one end to the other of MY house.

They can stay there until tomorrow.