Odds and ends

I bought myself some new books this week.

The One-skein Wonders I thought would be a great idea to get some Christmas present ideas. Great buy. There is loads of stuff I will make out of it! Have already bought myself some Rowan Kidsilk Haze to try a scarf and shawl. If they turn out well, they will be given to a family member!
There is also a great set in there with a facecloth, soap holder and mitten and thought how cool for the family, so I think I will be making a few of those sets!!!!!

The other two books, The Great American Afghan and The Great American Aran Afghan, are wonderful pattern books on two afghans that featured in Knitters Magazine and now they have put the patterns together in one book. Not sure when I will ever get them done, but great to have! There is a knitalong started on Angel Yarns for the Aran one, so you never know, one day I may join it!

Finally sewn these up! I am going to be giving them away to the local baby unit when I have made more. Not sure I am happy with the mittens because although I followed the pattern they look more like arm warmers than mittens!

My cross stitch update. Not done alot of this recently, but hoping to get back into it again! Need to rotate my projects!

Currently on my needles I have :

2 pairs of socks
1 cozy shrug
1 forest canopy shawl
1 dishcloth
1 premature baby jersey

Dishcloth swap 2

Well here are my prezzies that I received from my second dishcloth swap.

They are just wonderful. I received 2 dishcloths, one was a thank you for organising the swap! The patterns and detail of both are just wonderful!

The white one is a design called Feather and Fan which I really had trouble with, so I am so chuffed I have one now!

Sirdar Bigga

My parents gave me this yarn for Christmas ‘06 to make a bag with. The knitting only took me a week and it now just needs to be sewn together. Really loved knitting this! The brown material is going to be the lining when I get round to stitching it!

This is how all knitting kits should arrive!

This is the Glint kit from Kim Hargreaves, it is just wonderful.

It arrived all wrapped and with tissue paper etc, just wonderful. Felt like Christmas!!!

Here is her website, well worth a peek!
http://www.kimhargreaves.co.uk/

Semi finished projects

First Steps jacket, all knitted just needs to be stitched. It was really easy to knit but not at all challenging so I did get a little bored with it!

Now to find the motivation to sew them! LOL!

These are Debbie Bliss 2 needle baby socks out of her Beginners Baby Knits book. They were really quick and easy to knit only took about 2 days in total, spread over 4! Again just need sewing up now!

Hamlet in Rendlesham Forest

Friday night Si and I went and watched Hamlet in Rendlesham Forest, which is quite close to our home.

It was a wonderful evening. We got there at about 6pm, parked up and went and found a bench and had our picnic dinner.

We then went and sat down at about 7pm, and you could either sit on the ground at the front, bring your own chairs or sit on raised seating provided, so we chose the raised seating. It lasted about 3hrs and was every good. Even I did think the English was a bit weird at times! Can’t believe some of the stuff people take to picnics it was incredible!

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Facebook website

So how many of you are members of Facebook?

I joint on Sunday night and WOW!!!! I am loving it! I have found friends and people I knew from when I was 6!!!! I just can’t believe it, and best of all we all remember each other!

I have managed to find my old bestfriends from both junior and senior school, past crushes (not that I need them! LOL) past teachers, just so many people!

I am loving FACEBOOK at the moment and I think the biggest reason is being in the UK is wonderful and I love it, but I don’t have any real friends I can call up and visit etc. It is hard to make friends in new countries especially when you weren’t born there! Facebook has given me the chance to reconnect with people I knew decades ago and so makes me feel like yippeee I have mates again! Does that sound strange?

So if any of you are looking for lost friends etc, get on over there because it is FAB!

Craft update

My crafts have not been worked on much recently!

Baby cardigan – I am on the last sleeve of this with about 7cms left to stitch! Hoping to get it done this weekend, or tonight at knitting group! Then I just need to sew it up!

No other knitting has taken place!

Cross-stitch not done any of that recently either! Awful isn’t it?

So why have I not been doing my crafts?!?! Well as the weather has been so wonderful the last few days, after work, I make a cup of tea, take my blanket, lay it in the garden and sit and read for a few hours! Pure bliss! Which means my other crafts are not being worked on as much! But I am loving the fresh air at the moment!

So what am I am ready that I can’t put down? Well again I have gone back to my childhood and am reading Anne of Green Gables! The last time I saw this film I think I was about 10! And I am loving it! So on my Christmas present list this year is going to be the collection of Anne of Green Gables books. It is a classic and one that will never be forgotten and this way I can pass it onto my children, just like the Harry Potter set!

Certainly a week of childhood memories for me!

Penpals

I am going through a phase at the moment where I need to find penpals! I have loads of people I already write to but I want more!

And it got me thinking, we don’t write letters anymore! Everything is done via email and although faster is rather impersonal. So I wanted to try snail mail!

Low and behold I got my first snail mail penpal. Tuesday morning and letter arrived through my door in a pretty envelope addressed to me!!! The smile on my face was unbelievable, it felt so wonderful to actually receive a hand written letter! So the ball has started rolling, I now need to reply……

Now I realise why I love email! I am always on my PC, mail comes in, reply goes out bamn done ! Letter received in the post, sitting on the desk, reply still waiting to be written! Where do I find the time! Now I know why I email!!! But I won’t be beaten so this weekend, when hubbie is at golf I will be sitting in my garden (provided the weather is good) and hand writting my replies. This will now become my Saturday ritual from here on in, in the hope that I never get behind in replying!

Receiving my letter took me back to my childhood! When I lived in Africa, we never had email, and I had over 200 penpals at one point! And each week I would send out loads of letters around the world and I loved it!

So am I recreating my childhood, who knows, but one thing is for sure, nothing feels better than getting a hand written letter (not a bill or junk mail) through the post marked to you from some exotic place in the world!

So roll on Saturday and my letter writing session!

Brothers visit

Seems ages since my brother was here and actually it is!!! LOL, time once again has flown on and left me standing!

Gavin’s visit was great fun. He arrived Friday afternoon about 5pm, we then went to The Range to check the prices on some art equipment he wanted. Had dinner at home and I had made cookies and a cheesecake for him. The cookies were lovely, the cheesecake however did not turn out as expected! HMMMM!

Saturday, and Si went to his golf lesson so Gavin and I hit the shops! First stop was a craft shop in Felixstowe that had a sale on as it was closing down. He got such a great bargain there! This lovely oil paints set for £14.99 which easily should of been £35+ but because they could not find the price sold it for that! He got some other stuff as well, and I succumbed to some cotton yarn for my dishclothes!

Next stop was a bicycle shop as he wanted to buy one! So we went to this great shop near where I live, that sold him the most amazing bike. Great price and best of all if was right for his height, he is 6ft 4″! So he was well chuffed again!

Then home for a spot of lunch, catch up with hubbie, before hitting Debenhams! Where again he shopped on sale and got some great tea etc wooden cannisters for £5 each!

It was then back home for afternoon tea and cake and a bit of rest, then we went to prezzo in Woodbridge for dinner!

Sunday was the Hollyoaks football, and they got thrashed something like 14 – 3 it was humiliating for them! But good to see TV personalities.

Gavin left Sunday afternoon about 5pm, all shopped out! And returned home for some rest and credit card relaxation!

What a great time!