Yarn along....stockings and The Heartbreaker!

Hello,

Well I've been a bit quiet recently but I'm still reading and knitting, and today I'm joining

 in with Ginny's yarn along. 

Here I am reading 'The Heartbreaker' by Susan Howatch.  I've had this book on my shelf 

for a while (as you can see from the photo it is looking a little jaded) and as I'm trying to 

have a de-clutter I decided this was a book I would read and then pass on. I am quite 

enjoying it but I certainly would not bother reading it a second time so I'm just happy 

that I know this isn't going back on the shelf - yay, a bit of space cleared! 

The only downside is that I was about half way through this book when I realised that it is 

the third of a trilogy and that I have the two earlier books also on my shelf and of course 

haven't read either!! Doh! I was too far through this one to put it to one side to start with 

the first book, so I am resigned to reading them in the wrong order, oh well....

As for my knitting, I've just started my 4th (of 5) Osen Christmas stocking. Each is knitted 

in a different colour way in gorgeous Titus yarn, although I'm not sure this is quite an Osen 

stocking as I have changed the Fairisle pattern to my own design. Hopefully, as it is only 

just July, I should get stockings 4 and 5 completed in time for Christmas!

Happy knitting and/or reading!

xXx

Five on Friday - garden

Hello

Well my 'Five on Friday' hosted by Amy at Love Made My Home follows a similar theme

 to Amy's, it's all about my garden but somehow mine doesn't feel quite so calm and

 ordered. In fact I originally considered titling this post "Five surprising things in my garden" 

but managed to find some 'neater' photos in the end to balance out this post.

 So here goes. 

One: Balls, all 58!!

Two children love sports, especially football, and our garden is always littered with balls. 

Every so often I have a round-up. I did this last weekend and managed to fill 2 old dustbins 

with 58 balls including table tennis, tennis, golf, soft, hockey, lacrosse and 

of course, footballs! We get through so many footballs we buy them in bulk!

"Doubtless I will find more balls once I get on with the weeding" 

(she says shyly, see photo 3)

Two: Bedding plants in flowerpots!!

"Bedding plants in flower pots? What's so special about that?" you might ask. 

Well, it is quite a few years since I have put flowers in pots, and the reason is because of 

photo 1 above. Yes, balls! With so many balls flying around the garden my bedding plants 

were frequently dead-headed whether they were ready to be dead-headed or not! 

In fact, dead-stalked would probably be a better description. I did point out to daughter 

that I'd planted flowers in pots this year and that I was hoping that as she is now 17 she 

should be a better shot and could thus avoid my pots! Only time will tell, and my 

flowers have the long summer holiday to survive yet when 2 more young people will 

be back home from University and playing ball games in the garden. 

"Take cover plants!"

Three: (weeds)

Yes, I mention that word quietly. 

Life has been pretty busy bringing up children and 

working so the garden has been neglected over the last few years. But both sons are now 

at University, and daughter passed her driving test a few weeks ago and has suddenly 

become very independent, in fact I feel she has grown a whole 12 months in just one day!

So, sadly, we do have more free time and I think I have 

probably done more gardening already this year than I have in the last 5! 

But this bit of garden at the bottom is one part that I have yet to tackle and I have 

decided that I want to start again with it. 

However, I did think the bluebells looked pretty against the ornamental grasses 

(for 'ornamental grasses' read 'weeds'). 

Four: More balls, ball games

Daughter is revising for AS-levels and so spends many hours sat at a desk. This is quite 

challenging when you are someone who likes being active. Every so often we take her

 outside and throw a few balls for her to catch, and as you can see she thoroughly enjoys

 this and literally throws herself into the activity!

Five: Matching the bluebells 

I have just started knitting my next pair of socks, and I think this might be my

 favourite colourway yet: Regia design line Kaffe Fasset "Frost". 

This was one that I was so tempted to buy some months ago and 

eventually gave into the urge and I am so pleased I did - it was definitely the 

right decision. In fact, I'm thinking of purchasing more yarn to knit gloves and a scarf, 

not that I am intending to wear them all at the same time. 

Please head over to Amy's blog. Thank you to Amy for hosting "Five on Friday"

Wishing you a good weekend - and where has the sun gone?? 

xXx

Sock knitting and sock supplies!

Hello,

Today I'm coming clean about my love of sock knitting!

I know there is a whole community out there of keen sock knitters, and I am proud to be one of them. As many have said before, and in fact as I have also said here and here, socks are a great knitting project for taking with you when space may be at a premium. 

So train rides, weekend breaks, or even day trips all offer me the chance to get a 

few rows done. 

This is the first pair I knitted - smartly commandeered by daughter and as you can see, well used. 

I started off with some Regia 4 ply yarn and followed the pattern supplied with the yarn.

More Regia yarn followed. As you can probably guess, I like this yarn. It is hard-wearing but also comes in a great range of colours and patterns such as this latest one by 

Arne and Carlos. 

Other designers for Regia sock yarn include Erika Knight and Kaffe Fassett. 

So besides a healthy stash of sock yarn (all will soon be revealed!) I have also accumulated a few sets of DPNs (double pointed needles), small circular needles 

(which I absolutely love!) and er, one or 2 books.  

Well, actually 4 books in total which I feel is pretty restrained. 

But I do find all the lovely sock yarns hard to resist.  

Such gorgeous self-striping, self-patterning yarns. 

But also for a diversion I have some charming plain yarn waited to be knitted up too!

And some gorgeous yarn from West Yorkshire Spinners that I received as a 

Christmas present. This was sold as a Christmas special and the yarns are called 

Holly Berry and Cherry Drop. I am aiming to get two pairs of sock from these balls, 

using for each pair one ball as the main colour and using the second ball as a 

contrast for the cuffs, heels, and toes.  

And finally some old balls of Regia that I bought several years ago when it was 

on  offer - this yarn is at last on my needles and I'm trying a different pattern this 

time, one with an after-thought heel as I used this method on my Osen Christmas

 stocking and found it very easy to do.

 (This photo really doesn't capture the true colour of the yarn at all).  

And here is my sock yarn stash in all it's glory 

(well at least as it was yesterday).

So quite a few "pairs of socks" worth of yarn there, but alas, there are just

so many tempting sock yarns. I posted recently about how I was desperately 

resisting the urge to purchase more but as many of you guessed 

correctly, I eventually caved in to temptation. 

Let me introduce you to Delphinium (left) and Frost (right). 

Definitely a 'blue' theme going on here don't you think?

And finally, this pair of socks have just come off my needles and need to be finished. 

Clearly these have been on my needle a while as I was knitting them on this day trip to Matlock in May 2015! 

Well, with all that sock yarn in the house I'd better get knitting. 

And if you are on Ravelry please pop in and see me - I'm Caz3, and here is the link to see more of my projects. 

Are you a sock knitter? Do you have a favourite pattern? Do you knit cuff-down or toe-up?

So many choices....

Wishing you an enjoyable half term!

xXx

November

Hello, 

November, what an unseasonably mild month it has been. 

November, means it really is time to crack on with Christmas crafts. This Osen stocking 

is proving a lot of fun to knit. 

I'm using Baa Ram Ewe's Titus  yarn. I also used this yarn for 

my Whitlam Cowl and maybe I just had a dud skein of Yorkstone but 

I was a little unhappy with it. The yarn had been spliced several times and I 

ended up with 4 balls of variable sizes. Not particularly satisfying.

So I bought Chevin (green), White Rose and Wesley Bob (red) with a bit of trepidation - 

but no fear! After balling each of the 3 skeins I ended up with 2 equal sized balls of each colour!

This would make a fantastic festive hat wouldn't it?

Progress has temporarily been halted while I wait for a small circular needle in the 

appropriate size to land on my door mat.

In the meantime I have just started to crochet the first of several small 

bags for Christmas gifts. 

We like to have reading material close at hand to our kitchen/dining table, something

 to fill our brains while filling our stomachs. For months these books and magazines

have sat on the end of the worktop by the table, their untidiness annoying me. But no longer! 

They are now neatly stacked in a wall-mounted magazine rack. I'm really pleased with it, 

and with my new book 'Student World Atlas', a super book full of facts, ideal for just 

dipping into for a few minutes. 

How beautiful our carillon looks through the autumn leaves.

This was built after WWI to commemorate those who gave their lives in the war. 

For the size of our town we have a very large event held here on Remembrance Sunday, 

with poppies dropped from the top of the carillon. 

And for those of you who are interested, here is a definition of a carillon from wikipedia:

A carillon is a musical instrument that is typically housed in the bell tower (belfry) of a church or municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cup-shaped bells, which are played to produce a melody. A traditional manual carillon is played by striking a keyboard with the fists.  

A walk in the city on a Sunday morning while daughter warms up for football. 

We tend to walk the same route as we know where we can buy coffee at the end with just 

enough time while daughter warms up. I love the mix of city life and buildings we see on 

this walk: light commercial, residential, 

and even the empty buildings have some beauty.  

We could be in the middle of the country here, rather than in a city, 

with the tram line passing behind me. 

Ummm, coffee at McDonalds - oh, we know how to treat 

ourselves on a Sunday morning when it's a home match!

November, and the fair has arrived in town! 

And I mean right in the centre of town - how unusual is that!

It brings congestion, confusion, empty shops 

but also bright lights, heart-thumping music, candy floss and happy faces!

November, with a huge fireworks display at the town's University and firework

 toffee made by my husband (ideal for expanding waistlines and removing loose teeth)

 .... yes, I like November!!

xXx

Enjoying, 17!

Hello, 

Enjoying, and with disbelief, that daughter celebrated her 17th birthday on Friday!

Daughter has a habit of never being at home for her birthday. 

Her birthday usually falls during the autumn half term and sometimes we have been

 away as a family but last year daughter was away on a school trip so we didn't 

see her at all on her 16th birthday. 

This year she was at a two-day football tournament in Cambridge. We eventually 

caught up with her late afternoon on her birthday.  

Next year she has vowed that she will spend all her 18th birthday with us, and 

has already requested that brothers must be present too.  

Enjoying Cambridge in all its autumnal glory. 

We used to live here...I miss it. 

Enjoying two football matches, daughter in action .... playing central 

defence for a change and outrunning the forward!

Enjoying mid air antics to clear the ball - number 6!

Enjoying her cake belatedly. I had promised to bake her favourite birthday cake but 

being away for two days scuppered these plans. 

Enjoying the reflections on my new candle holder.  

Enjoying more of those autumn views and late sun from the bedroom 

windows as I vacuumed and dusted.

Enjoying all those nostalgic moments invoked by dusting my dressing table - 

daughter has brought back these tins for me from her school trips, she knows my taste!

Enjoying the possibilities these little goodies promise - bought from 

John Lewis in Cambridge. Definitely a rosy, Christmas theme going on! 

Enjoy your weekend.

xXx