Still here....

Although the  laptop issues are back!

The laptop was replaced, and then the new-to-us one turned out to have a faulty graphics card, and then the old one was kind of fixed by a friend but he installed a new OS which doesn't seem to have loaded all the features so I can't edit photos now until I get some editing software. Still having problems with the power  supply to the laptop too so seriously going to have to find a replacement soon.....

And even worse than all of that - I've lost all my bookmarks! All the lovely blogs I was following through bookmarks, all gone. I can't remember the names of them so I'm hoping that I will come across them again very soon. I follow quite a few on blogger but some I bookmarked instead, probably because I wasn't logged in when I first came across them and then never got round to clicking that button. Well that'll teach me......

In the meantime I have done a little knitting. I'm so glad I started late October as I am running out of time now and the days are filled with lots of crafting of a different kind, take a peek at the other blog if you want to know more! I finally finished this little set for the littlest girlie after a mini rant at the mittens that wouldn't turn out right:

Do you see the lovely scarf too, the one that I blogged about in the last post? Well of course you don't because I was knitting away and started to think how the girlie never keeps her scarves on properly, and that they always come sliding down out of her coat. So in a stroke of genius I decided to turn it into a simple cowl. No sliding off her neck, and I could cast off just over halfway through the length rather than carrying on for at least another 70cms! All worked in three shades of Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran, the cowl is a garter stitch loop in blocks of colour, the mittens are cobbled from a pattern found on Ravelry which I still can't decide whether I read wrongly/misunderstood, or it was written wrongly? The hat is the Pixie helmet from the Autumn 2009 issue of Living Crafts magazine, with a big fluffy bobble on top and cute fat plaits on each side. Overkill? - nah, it looked great when I sneaked it on her whilst she slept.....

Woohoo, another set done, just two more hat/gloves/scarf sets to go. And to finish big little boys scarf, the one in the DK rib..... And a pair of gloves for biggest girlie ..... And there's a little sewing to be done yet too..........

I hope you're all on target for a stress free handcrafted Christmas.

-x-

Yarn along

I have knitted up a few things in the late nights but it's getting so close to the gifting time now that I am resorting to super quick knits. So for the littlest girlie I have gone back to the elf cap, only resized using aran weight yarn and 5mm needles. All good and now the matching scarf is on the needles. Garter stitch all the way with this one, firstly because Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran looks so good in garter stitch, and secondly because it is quick and mindless and can be done whilst nursing the girlie, reading stories, making plans...... you get the picture ;)

I really wanted this to be the picture to share, look at those amazing deep colours:

But in reality this is what it looks like:

Still gorgeous colours though don't you think?

Reading, well it's fairly obvious - the christmas books are out. Old books found in the charity shops, when children wanted things like rocking horses, dolls and jack in the boxes, not a video game or mobile phone in sight......

Looking forward to seeing what everyone is up to in Ginny's yarn along once again.

And a big thank you to all who read, I noticed I passed the 10,000 page views mark whist I was away. Not a lot by some standards, but amazing to me. Thanks to everyone for reading and following.

-x-

Short not sweet.

My laptop is dying.

It takes forever to download the photos from the camera, editing them is near impossible, it can't cope at all with more than one page open. 

So I offer my apologies. 

I have things to share, knits I've made, a pattern for a cool cowl to put out there, but I can't do any of that. 

I am keeping up with my family blog as I need that record for the littlies and myself to remember happy December days, but that alone is an all evening job. I start uploading photos then potter off to do dishes, come back and write a little, upload a photo to the blog, do a few lot of rows of knitting whilst waiting, upload another, make a drink, upload another, walk the dog, you get the picture (boo - pun not intended!!).

So there we are, why I'm not here. 

Or anywhere else. 

I try to catch up on blogs, but it takes several minutes for each to load. 

And leaving comments, well, there's no chance of that.

Do you remember the days of dial-up? Well this is slower, far slower.

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel - the man is negotiating prices on a replacement laptop as I type. So in the next few days, as one big guy once said - I'll be back! 

Hopefully.....

-x-

Plain old lazy - but you'll love it.

I've been at work all day, missd a train connection, shivered on a platform, saw a poor little toddler at my group bump his head so badly he had a bright blue egg within seconds, I have a toothache, and the beginnings of a cold. I think a break from the knitting pressure is due. So today I thought I'd share with you something that has just had me snorting my lemon and ginger tea all over myself:

http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/archives/2011/12/01/for_the_others.html

Yes, you probably follow the blog, and yes, you probably snorted too, but just in case you don't, take a look.

See - genius. I especially love rule 1 :)

And I finished the cowl. More tomorrow, maybe?

-x-

Yarn along

Joining in with Ginny once again.

Knitting and reading, two of the very best ways to relax and enjoy.

Still beavering away on the gift makes, so many done, yet still more to do. This is the cowl I'm working on for middle big girl, to match with the mitts and hat previously shown. I'm making it up as I go so hoping it will be ok:

Actually it's a bit risky all this top of the head creating, there's already been a few ripped back pieces. Maybe sticking to a proven pattern would help speed things up a little more......

Reading......well that hasn't happened so much the past week. Books still open include Anger and Oliver, as previously blogged, but no further into. I have gotten a few pages further into the one shown though but knitting is at the fore with only a few weeks to go!

Also on the needles are the ribbed scarf of biggest littlie, and the gloves for the man, which have both stayed the same since last mentioned. I could always give the man the one glove to keep the chain holding hand warm whilst walking Saffi. The other hand is always in his pocket anyway......

Off for a quick look at what you're all working on before it's back to the cowl again.

And thank you for your comments last week, about replying to other blog posts. I think I might have to be a bit stricter this week and make sure I only have a quick look at other posts, I have so much knitting and so little time, although I would love to be able to spend the time enjoying every ladst post.....

-x-

Did you see....?

I have added a new page to the blog. 

Did you spot it up there just below the header?

I thought I would use it as a safe little storage space for the patterns I think I will use again, because storing them in my head is just not going to work is it?

And because they are so quick(ish) and easy I thought you might like to use them too!

So, a seasonal gift to you all ;)

Right, back to the needles (one little girlie is sleeping on the sofa - wow, that hasn't happened this early in over a month, best make the most of it!!).

-x-

Many hands.......

If only I had all the hands to fit the projects I have finished this weekend! I would fly through the gift makes I still have to start :)

The Hitchhiker is no longer middle big girls yule gift, I just couldn't face the idea of having to knit up a matching hat and gloves in the KC Riot, it is such a fine DK it would take me all of the time I have from now to Christmas! Instead I cast on these on Saturday evening:

Middle big girl wants gloves she can wear whilst driving and thinks fingerless would work better, and she loves all the chunky cable designs that are everywhere in the shops right now. These worked up really quickly on chunky/bulky weight yarn and used just under 100g for both. And best of all I used stash wool, the Patons Symphony found at a car boot sale during the early summer, so super pleased.

I also managed to finish the bubble rib scarf for biggest girl this weekend:

 Worked in Stylecraft aran so that I wouldn't hear the news that she had shrunken it (last years pure wool Mirasol gift....!) this scarf has taken forever. I have picked up between other makes and tried to squeeze in at least one repeat every night, but this weekend I decided I just had to get it done as I was avoiding my knitting corner altogether to avoid this looking back at me. Very pleased with the finished result though and I hope biggest girl is too. Just a pair of gloves to complete the set.

But instead of casting on the gloves (still have the mans on the needles and one pair is enough for now!), I cast on an instant gratification knit:

Thick warm chunky soft mittens for tallest, smallest big girl. Worked in Wendy Serenity super chunky on 10mm straight needles, these were finished almost as soon as I cast them on. I used this pattern to make this an almost mindless knit, perfect for late night tiredness, waiting for littlest girlie to sleep. If you're thinking of using this pattern I have to tell you there is an error in row 10 and 11 which is easily sorted, but if you have any problems shout out.

And last, but only for now, I cast on this hat for middle big girl, to go with the fingerless mitts from the very first post:

I came up with the pattern to match the cable mitts and I'm very, very pleased with it :) I think it may even become the hat of the season, with one for grandgirlie, and maybe even littlest girlie too. Cast on, knit, and cast off all within an hour or two, just perfect for a quick gift. I may try writing up the pattern if anyones interested?

I still have a pretty long list to work through but it finally feels as I'm getting somewhere. And right now I only have three projects cast on, I wonder how long that will last?

Hope you're all enjoying your Christmas crafting and NOT putting yourselves under pressure to complete. It's fun first of all, remember ;) And I'll be the first to shout out when I've had enough!

-x-