Why, why, why?

Whoever came up with that word should be shot. It's the bane of my life. Children you gotta love them but boy can they test your patience. I know I should be glad that I have a bright and healthy little boy but I could really do without the questions sometimes. Take this morning for instance, it's birthday season and we had another party to go to. I've hardly slept - between bedwetting (the mighty midget i should add, not me!), the cat deciding she should be fed at stupid o'clock and then the MM getting up at 7am (on the weekend!), sleep was not really much of an option.

Picture the scene.... I am trying to wash my hair and not get water in my ears again as I've had earache on and off all week when the questions start. You'd think I'd get a few minutes peace while in the shower but no. Mummy, why do caterpillars have lots of legs? To hold onto things. Why do birds only have two legs? Well, um, they have two legs and two wings. Why? A long time ago when there were dinosaurs, they didn't have wings they had legs and no feathers (yes I stupidly went there). Oh. Can you go away now and stop asking questions. No I like talking to you. So, beetles have lots of legs. Yes they're insects, they have six. What about ants? They're insects too, they have six. No I saw one with four. No you didn't. Why don't cows walk on two legs?.... and it goes on. He did finally leave me alone but by that point I didn't really know which way was up! Next time, I really must remember to lock the door.

We made it to our party and on time for once. Even after I realised we hadn't wrapped the present and I'd forgotten to buy a birthday card. It was a lovely morning, we sat in traffic all the way home and we're both shattered.

Knitting, what's knitting? who has the time and energy for that?!

It's Monday so I'm rambling

I have said time and time again that I really should try and blog more regularly but for some reason I never seem to manage it. I have so many things that I want to share but I never get around to posting them all and it always seems a bit silly writing about something two or three weeks after something has happened. I'm a bit embarrassed but I've actually made myself a list of things to remind me that I'd intended to blog about them. I've discovered I'm a real list writer, I write lists for everything. A bit obsessive maybe? Possibly but I do know that if I go shopping and don't take a list, I always come back without the one vital thing I need.

So what's been happening over the last couple of days? Where shall I start? Well, I mentioned my gran briefly last time. She's been staying with us for the last week and as much I as I am always pleased to see her, a week is too long. Probably for her as much as for us. She has a different way of doing things and of course, her way is always the right way. Regardless. I would suggest that it's just because of her age but I think it's more of a cultural thing. My dad's family are from the north east and my gran is the epitomy of that north eastern stereotype of "strong" women. She's opinionated and not frightened of sharing them, which of course doesn't make for an easy life. She just can't help herself, she has to interfere. There was obviously a good reason that my dad put three hundred miles between him and his mum at the age of seventeen!
Anyhow, along with everything she disapproved of though, she did fall in love with the amigurumi bears. So I made her a little one to take away with her. Isn't he cute! and a definate improvement on the first one. I hope she likes him - I tucked him into the box of bits she was taking home.

On the amigurumi front, I'd like you to meet my little girl. Currently she's been christened "fugly betty". The name's kind of self explanatory really - I think she's going to need a bit of work to improve her looks. Actually, I'm quite pleased the computer's working this morning. I told mum what she was called yesterday and she laughed so hard she threw her coffee all over the computer!Hehe. Ugly face aside though, I am quite pleased with the adaptation of the bear pattern. I think I'll have to consider her a work in progress. lol.
I've just searched the whole house, fugly Betty is mia and I didn't get a chance to photograph her. I think Granny took her home with her. Who knew!

Back to the knitting - I thought I'd finished my Chevron jacket this morning. Yes, the sleeve is finished at last. I stitched up the shoulder seams, picked up the neck stitches that were on the holders ready to do the last couple of rows. Then I reread the pattern - I have 8 inches of collar to knit. Doh! So, the hemlockring will be waiting a little longer.
It's a good job I picked up a spare ball of yarn last week or I'd definately not have enough wool. It's official, the pattern needs an extra ball of yarn to complete so after all that umming and arring over yardage, I was right all along.

I have finally forgiven my postman, he has started bringing me nice mail at last.
Wednesday was a very good sock day, not only did my addi turbos arrive at last, my LYS was selling off their Sirdar Town & country sock yarn for £1.25 a ball! I was good - I only bought 3 balls but now there's no excuse not to start my Bayerische now. I have spare needles at last and some nice new green yarn to do it in. All I have to do is fight my way through a sea of amigurumi, all two of them so far. I must have one completed before tomorrow though. It looks like my gran has taken a shine to my little bear friend so I think I might be making her one before the weekend is over as well.

Then today, my postman has brought me a parcel of fab shetland yarn in some great blue shades ready for starting my christmas mittens. 500g of it - that's a lot of mittens! I am rolling in yarn. Yay :)

small bear sidetracks Jaywalkers!

No you're not going mad, that really is a little purple bear. I blame Laura, it's all her fault. I go to SnB knitting socks and come home hooked on Amigurumi! I've another "on the hook" that's just about ready for sharing as well, you'll have to wait until tomorrow to meet her though.So, just why am I making these little critters? Well as I was saying, Laura showed me hers, she was making it as a present for one of her friend's birthday. Having just hit birthday season, (the mighty midget has a party to go to every weekend for the next month) I of course thought what a fabulous idea and the rest as they say, is history. I scoured the internet and found this little fella - how cute is he? (even minus the rest of his face) and a couple of others that I just have to try.

I'm going to add a keyring to them too. So, there could be a hoard of four year olds wandering around Colchester with critters dangling from their backpacks.

A quick round up

I swear my postman is eating my mail, all he seems to bring me is bills! What's happened to all the lovely stuff I've ordered? I check the box everyday and there's nothing. Grr

Sominor rant over, what's on the needles then? I've finished my carry around project as you can see below so I have had to cast on for another pair of socks straight away. I mean, I can't have a set of empty DPN's that'd be crazy! I've been meaning to get on and complete a pair of Rainforest socks for a while as part of the sockathon and as I still haven't got my new needles, sigh, I haven't been able to cast on the Bayerische. So, peacock socks it is. I wanted a pattern that could stand up to the striping effect of the yarn so I'm attempting Grumperina's Jaywalkers. Can't quite decide whether the yarn is a bit busy even for these but I'll do a bit more before I make a decision.

My chevron jacket is almost finished. I'm half way up the last sleeve and now just need to pick up one more ball of yarn to finish it off. I've blocked the back and fronts and it's opened up the pattern fantastically.

Mitten number one is almost finished too. I've just got the thumb to do and then the grafting at the top. It knitted up surprisingly quickly.Hmm, that's about it for now. The Indian Summer Shawl has stalled a bit - I'm still not completely happy with the pattern so I've put it to one side for a few days. Oh and going through some stash this afternoon I discovered that I have enough aran yarn to knit several Hemlockring blankets! I think this one could be moving higher up the the "to do" list ;)

FO - stripey ankle socks

Basic toe up ankle highs, figure of 8 cast on and short row heels.
Yarn: 100% wool superwash 4ply homedyed.
Needles: 2.5mm Brittany Birch

What a monster

I have this fantastic weed in my garden and it's turned into a complete monster. I must have dropped one of the seeds off last years sunflowers at some point and when I saw this one coming up, I thought "it won't get that big" and so I didn't bother to pull it out. Oops.
They didn't get this big last year, that's for sure. The head must measure 18 inches across! I'm thinking there's going to be some very happy little birds in our garden this winter :)