We may have lost the Rugby but there was additional encouragement from the BBC with their programme on the links with Patagonia and Wales.
I love this wrap, an easily memorised pattern, fantastic yarn - Elsebeth Lavold Chunky Al in Night Sky and even better than that it fits!!
Sleeves are blocked, ends sewn in, just about to start the final 12 row repeat.
Welsh male voice choir music fills the flat, Wales and Ireland are about to kick off in the 6 Nations - got to go!
Slow progress today due to a number of features, shopping(the cleaning and grocery essentials in life), cooking (sweet potato and chilli chowder), watching Scotland beat England at Rugby and napping ( I'm still trying to get over my recent illness and have very little energy) but mainly because this wrap has got so heavy it is putting a strain on my hands and I don't want to risk a set back so I'm being cautious.
When I picked this pattern I worked it out that 3 pattern repeats a day on the main body would be all that I could do and I've been right, there's 36 rows left to go - so all being well it will be finished!
Whilst not knitting I had a quick blog surf. I'd been watching 3 other blogs who all said they were making the Yoga Wrap. One never started, one has paused and started another project and one has declared it will not be finished in time - I'm now very determined that I will do it.
Congratulations to Dawn and Mary from the Liberty Team Training Squad for succeeding with their projects.
Heaven help me - I've just asked to be signed up for the next Rowanette Exchange - do I never learn!
Two sleeves finished - need to be sewn in
66 rows to go
ends to sew in
Think I'll make it by 7pm Sunday (UK time) which is the start of the closing ceremony on the BBC
The house spider has left home as the dust bunnies (dinosaurs) are clogging her web; there are no clean dishes or pans; the laundry is knee deep and the wine rack empty.
Someone advised toughening the blister by rubbing alcohol on it - does dipping it in vodka count?
If I've calculated correctly - I'll have yarn left over and my mind is working out how to make a matching hat, my fingers are screaming in protest.
This has finally helped me decide - I'm a process not product knitter!
Quite trivial but driving me mad! I've got a blister on my middle finger right where my yarn usually goes - I've been a knitter for 40+ years how come it blisters now?
The knitting is progressing slowly. One sleeve is done and I should finish the other on my way to work tomorrow. That leaves me with the main body and six pattern repeats to complete. The wrap is so bulky it doesn't fit into any of my bags and is so warm it's like being wrapped in a duvet.
A good night at Liberty's tonight enlivened by the prescence of Fred (my yarn pusher - he's offered to go shopping for me at Coldspring!)
Wish I was heading off to Skip North tomorrow with Nickerjac and Lixie - have a wonderful time and don't forget to post plenty of pictures!
Here's a close up of the stitch pattern
I love the way the pattern is working out. Very easy to memorise and the yarn is great fun to work with even though it does leave a fine haze of purple alpaca over everything
Progress to date - I've just finished the 2nd armhole so am down to a front and 2 sleeves to finish. The project has got so large I won't be able to carry it as travel knitting so it looks as if the sleeves will be the commuter project for the week. My gauge is slightly off and I hate long sleeves so I need to do some maths to make them work for me.
All is looking well, I'll have enough yarn and time baring disasters!
here's some of the original bits made for the Leighton Buzzard Nature Trail mixed with my sample pieces for the flowers and a few knitted munchies. We're working towards a proper picnic for the hungry gardener and there were a few sugestions that a pint of Guiness might not go amiss
A great pot of Daffodils to cheer me on in my Team Wales endeavours. (More on the Olympic knitting tomorrow when I can show some progress)
I always love that moment when the first daffodils come out and it's why I'm hopping mad today with some of the neighbouring kids who decided not only to kick a football through the daffs outside my window but then to ride their bike through the flower bed to get their ball back!
I have their photos and plan to post a picture of the little darlings on the comunal notice board in my block of flats - perhaps their parents may want to discipline them!!
I loved this crazy paving donated by Rita T. of the KCG, why didn't I think of it instead of the brick path which is slowly driving me demented. Anyone want to knit some 9"x4" rectangles, any stitch you like in aran weight browns / reds? I'm already wondering who I can bribe to sew them together!!!
Look who popped up in the ICHF garden at the weekend. She is the Snowdrop Fairy knitted by Carol W. of the KCG
Mary of Wool Palace fame caught these photos of me when I escaped from the stand at Brighton - I was doing my best to promote Team Wales and the Olympic ideals - pity I didn't have my knitting with me!
I've just got home from 3 wonderful days at the Brighton show with the Knit and Knatter crew and the Knitted Garden project.
I have laughed so much in the company of Fred and Sue; was well supported by the other volunteers Joan, Kirstie, Linda, Ann, Sarah, Helen, Hannah. We have taught hundreds to knit and crochet and had some great donations for the garden brought in. (More on this when I've downloaded the photos)
Some of the treats were seeing a young man who I taught to finger knit last year, he arrived on the stand at 9.30 and stayed until 4pm teaching anyone who wanted to learn and he's only 12. We also had 2 visits from R. +F. , two young girls who have been coming along for 2 years. This year R. learnt to finger crochet on Friday and came back on saturday with a mini cape and shes not yet 10. One of the very best comments on the evaluation sheet was from the mother of 2 very young girls - she came back today to buy more yarn and to tell us that she had managed an extra hours sleep as instead of waking her up the girls had spent that hour finger knitting in bed!
We enjoyed a visit from Jill, Dawn and Mary on Saturday - who all very obliginly "stand sat" for us so that we could escape for a lunch break together. The fact that we were next to Kangaroo proved too great a lure for them but I'll leave it up to them to confess their purchases.
The highlight for me though was today and the picture says it all! Last year Roger and Philip stopped by to learn some simple knitting techniques - this year they came back with a bag of their work to show me - absolutely incredible. I was delighted to learn that they now run a knitting club at their shop!
A number of people have asked me about the Viv Hoxbro kit which is yet again on hold! I finally found a picture of it through the Wayback site but it doesn't seem to want to be found again! It was model 2313 last seen in May 2003 ( for anyone more able than I in keeping track of it!)
I do really want to complete this but it has not proved an ideal project when one's brain is mush from pain and then the stress of returning to work.
Even less the sort of project you want to consider during the Olympics - so I think this will have to be a March project.
I've been working on the top in DB Alpaca Silk and have just one arm edging to do, block and sew up so there is still progress on the UFO list. I won't get it finished in time to take it to Brighton with me at the weekend though.
The list of things to take to Brighton is endless, the small case is overflowing so I've moved over to the larger one and still have no room for clothes - it's all those toys I have to take! I think some rationalisation is called for and I need to take at least 2 of the knitting projects out of the bag - after all I'll only be gone for 2 nights, will have my lace travel knitting with me and should be starting the Olympics!
I seem to be totally unable to concentrate on any one project.
This week I have worked on a lace smoke ring using Elizabeth Lavold Silky Wool - 4 pattern repeats completed; knitted more on the UFO top in Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk and a quick scarf in Kidsilk Haze to give to someone as a leaving present. ( It was so quick that I didn't even take a photo of it before I handed it over!) The common denominator is silk and all of the yarn was from stash.
For the scarf, I used 6mm needles, cast on 30 sts then I knit 5 rows, knit 1 row wrapping yarn 2x round needles and repeated dropping the extra loops until bored finishing with 5 rows of Knit.
I'm hoping I can get over this grasshopper phase before the start of the Olympics!
I got into the office early and sat quietly at my desk and started tackling the emails - there were some great messages from colleagues who had learnt I planned to go back today. During the course of the morning all of my own team came in to say Hello (including one on his day off) and my desk was soon sprouting daffodils, a fruit basket and my favourite coffees - I think they missed me!
The best thing of all was the knitting - eight rows of lace - I love bus journeys!