Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Isn't it Ironic...


... that the sweater I took apart, due to it being to small for me, ended up by getting 're-knit' into something, which if not actually too small, is a little 'snugg'.

This Shalom, when knit according to the pattern, is worked on no°7 mm needles, but my re-cycled yarn was too thin for this size needle and necessitated me going down to 5 mm.  I twigged pretty early on that it was going to be a bit small but I didn't realise how small!  However, I did wear it on Sunday and both my S.I.L and Sylvie my cousin complimented me; Sylvie suggested wearing it almost like a shawl over a strappy summer dress but I don't want to wait that long so I'm wearing it now over a long sleeved T.


The button was part of a set I bought 6 years ago in the Jura, with no particular project in mind.  They have since served, strung together, as a baby toy and and easy sewing project for Rémi, who, a while back took to cutting holes in his clothes!!  I told him he'd better learn to sew as I had no intention of replacing willfully damaged goods. He's recently changed direction, taken up hairdressing, and given himself a jagged basin cut.

Whilst on the subject of Remi's head.  I had to make some alterations to his Canadian flag headband as it got 'bigger' after a few days wear.  I know it's called 'seed' stitch but I didn't actually expect it to grow! but it did and kept slipping down over his eyes, well at least it covered his crazy hairdoo!
After seeing so many wonderful 'Milo' vests on various 'yarn-along' posts I have started one for Tino.  This yarn was given to me a few years ago, minus all the labels, so I have no idea of the name, make etc, but I like the way it knits up.  And I think I will have enough to make myself the Lispenard Cowl, the pattern for which I won last week on Angelina blog.


Just finished the 3rd book in the Little House on the prairie series and I enjoyed it as much as the first two.  I didn't watch the television series when I was younger, I was more of a Walton's fan,  little did I know of what I was missing over at the Ingalls place!!
Linking up with Ginny again this week and Thanks to Lori I finally got me that button!!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Yarn along - a little on the large side

Linking up today with Ginny for this weeks 'YARN ALONG'.

Usually no-one ever asks me to knit or crochet for them, Richard even explicitly asks that I don't make anything for him, so it's not really my fault that for the second week in a row I'll wandered from the stash bustin path!!
After flashing for a Canadian flag headband last week retailing for 35€ (I don't know exactly how much that is in £, $ etc but it's way to much for a machine knit) Rémi most sensibly agreed with me about its 'high' price and subsequently decided that I should make him one.  Guess what? no red stash!!!
So red yarn bought, I googled 'canadian flag motif' and found a few suitable models that my printer insisted on spitting out no bigger than a postage stamp!!  With Rémi's expert help we enlarged and coloured in our own grid, which I then went on to modify every couple of rows, as it was knitting up a little on the large side!

It finished up rather big, almost a hat really, but Rémi likes it so that's all that matters.

Earlier in the week I made a few more washcloths, leaf shaped, quite by coincidence.

We are re-reading two books during the school hols,'Tadlak -entre chien et loup' (Tadlak - between dog and wolf) and ' Le Dernier Trappeur' (The last trapper), written by a husband and wife musher couple, Nicholas and Diane Vanier.   Great books with fantastic pencil and photo illustrations.

To slightly deviate from knitting and books for a second, I am in some confusion!!  Last week I read a post by another yarn along contributor, Allison , concerning 'Google friend connect' and it's impending demise on the 1 March.  Allison recommends subscribing to her RSS feed.  I'm lost!!!
Does this mean that on the 1 March, I will have no followers and no longer will their little pictures pop up on my blog? and that the blogs that I currently follow via GFC will 'gone' from my reading list?  And what is RSS feed?
Sorry if I sound a bit dumb, but I'm not that good with computer 'stuff'.  You may have noticed that my blog is 'simple', it's no passion on my part for minimalism, it's just I've not the slightest idea how to add 'buttons' and bits and bobs etc.  Any enlightenment, especially concerning GFC, would be greatly appreciated.
And while we're on the subject, how do I go about getting Ginny's 'yarn along' button?
Merci!

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Yarn along - a hatrick

Linking up with Ginny for the second time in a week!


These are the 2nd and 3rd hats i've made using an Easy pattern, and they caused me to deviate slightly from my stash bustin, by purchasing some yarn.  Katie, a friends daughter, asked me to make her a ski hat in pink but I had no pink stash.  However, I made up for straying from the stash path by using the rest of the yarn to make a newborn hat for my friends eagerly awaited baby girl.
This is a time of mini projects for me; a knitted bookmark for Richards' valentine prezzie, helping Rémi with his knitting dolly heart - also for Richi and making another washcloth and some cotton face scrubbies for me.

I'm 'reading', if a cookbook counts, 'River Cottage Veg everyday', that Katie's mother bought me for christmas.  We've tried out lots of the recipes already and the kids especially went for my slightly milder version of the pinto bean chilli.  Most of the recipes lend themselves well to seasonal veg modifications.
The pumpkin teabread is my favorite so far and the beetroot/walnut hummus isn't bad either!!!

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Easy like sunday morning

Phew, what a few days we've had!! My little monkey has been sick on and off for the last 2 weeks, and finished up spending Thursday night and all day Friday in hospital!

Nothing serious, just the culmination of a whole series of kiddy illnesses, an allergic reaction to an anti-biotic and then being pre-scribed the opposite treatment to that which he needed!! Poor little guy, nothing could go down and nothing could come out, sort of a short circuit! But he's home now, still very tired, sleeping 17 hours a day, but has found his appetite and done a few dance moves this morning, so I think he's on the mend!!
Hospitals are not nice places; all those sick children. Nurses are such hard working caring people, whatever they are getting paid it's not enough.


So it was with some relief on my part that Rémi woke up this morning with his creative sparkly face on instead of the disgruntled adolescent one that he's been doing lately - not bad considering he's only 7!
Thus at 7am it was Lego city here, even Oban got up and 'joined' in the fun, sort of!


"Does he know what time it is?"

This lasted until about mid-day when his energy overdrive kicked in and Richard took him off skiing for the afternoon.  They met up with friends, one of whom had the strange idea of licking the chair lift pole, and got her tongue stuck to it!
Still very wintery here, going between very cold and very snow days, with more snow forecast for the coming week!

Italy, last weekend





Hey Girl

Linking up with Ginny today, but not for a yarn along, more of a laugh along!

*camera still stuck in skinny mode.