Cranford Handwarmers

cranford 003
Originally uploaded by loobles2002

Love this pattern. Have been meaning to make these for ages. Knitted from scrapes of Regia Silk and sock yarn on 2.25mm dpns. These really are an entertaining knit. Well thought out pattern too.

Pattern Cranford Mitts by Jane Lithgow available on Ravelry and at p/hop.
This pattern has been donated to Medecins Sans Frontieres as part of the p/hop project - pattern is free but if you like it than you donate what you feel it is worth - details below:-

www.p-hop.co.uk
www.msf.org.uk/phop

Friendly enemies

silkfergus 015
Originally uploaded by loobles2002

That's it you dumbass pooch, just a leetle closer and I'll show you meaning of pain. My purrs are luring you in then BAM you're fuzzy leetle butt will be mine.....all mine!

I know...

two in one day. I'm spoiling you. This is a 100g of Tussah Silk and brown Alpaca.

Navajo plied. It is gorgeous and is destined for someone else. I hope they like it.

Naughty boy! I wondered where he was....on one of my posh cushions.

Oh yes!

Lord Lucas a Tory peer gets Home-ed more than any of the younger Labour idiots appear to. This speech is wonderful. It made me hope (a little).

At last some common sense.

Read it here - http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldtoday/22.htm

Please help

The UK Govt is trying to bring in a law that will give them the ability to 'big brother' how we parent our children's development. It is against human rights.

Please help. Google 'The Badman Review' this will not just effect home educators it gives them a platform to bring this in against all families.

This will fundamentally change the role of the state in UK family life and will put a size 13 foot in the door to having compulsory CRB checks and monitoring of parents.

Please sign our petition - http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Home-ed-families/


Thank you.

And after

I am not forgiven for this.

It is brilliant. Lucy is a genius. No more tangles.....for now.

Before the barbers!

He's there now - hopefully not barking too much!

Phew

Tiny looks fine. This moult was a really slow one and as he is on a high shelf I had to wait till M was home from work before I could be sure he/it/she was OK. I was worried if I'd clambered up to see, that I might have caused a vibration which could effect the moulting process. He looks a lot bigger and very, very hairy, he's dark brown to black with salmon pink flecks, he is still plumping up so can't say for sure how big he is now. No obvious sign of sex though, so I assume he'll have further moults....unless we are lucky and he is a she, only time will tell. I'll attempt pictures once he's fully back to normal but as he is a pretty fierce dude it isn't easy. When we open the hatch he automatically thinks it's feeding time and charges the front of his tank so he needs handling with care as I think a bite from him would be very painful.

Fergus is now 6 months old and is off for his first visit to the barbers tomorrow. His coat is so dense and woolly - he gets mats even though I groom him every day. I'm wondering what Lucy will make of him as he likes to bark when he's away from us (the vets couldn't wait for us to collect him when he went in to be neutered). Still whatever she does will be an improvement on his current woolly Gorilla suit. Lottie isn't going to the hairdressers as M and I got a DVD and learnt how to strip her coat ourselves - she is all tidy and looking very cute.

I'll take before and after photos of Fungus tomorrow. He looks so much like a Scottie that I'm wondering if he'll come home with a Scottie coat tomorrow - all beard and eyebrows.....hmmmm sounds like someone else who lives here and no I don't mean my Mother.

So now I wait

Waiting is not something I'm very good at but when a spider needs to moult then there is no choice but to wait. There is nothing you can do. It (touch wood) has always turned out OK, there can be problems, but if there is then you are helpless really.

A little while back Marmite moulted, we found it on its back on a web when we got up already part way there. Marmite is beautiful with renewed glossy black hair. He/she/it is a small spider, about 3 inches across and the moult seemed over in a blink. Then you wait whilst they pump themselves up again - which can take a few days - when it's completed you finally get to see that all eight legs are there and intact.

Today we awoke to find Tiny, our biggest tarantula, on its back waiting to moult. Three hours later he's still there. We can only be quiet near the tank, make sure we do not bang, crash and thump about near the bookcase where his tank is and wait.

I am hoping that this moult will answer what sex Tiny is but as he isn't full size yet he could have more to go. I get excited to see what happens - will there be changes in colour density or size? Will we see male tibial spurs or it will it still be a game of wait and see?

I know spiders aren't every ones cup of tea, and I know a few friends that actually abhor them and will probably not read my blog for a while in case I post pictures, but I find them fascinating. I'm not into the OMG factor of owning them, what floats my boat is the fact that they are so separate from us and so alien. I can watch them for hours, how they move, hunt and groom is so weird it's compelling.

And relax

Fergus yesterday after being groomed.

Eighteen years

It still hurts and I still miss you.

River Rapid socks - take 2.

r-rapid 026
Originally uploaded by loobles2002

It's been all about getting stuff finished and off the needles. At this moment in time, for the first time in years, I don't have any socks on the needles!.......Wait I feel faint. I am down to 3 knitted WIP's and 1 in crochet, and the crochet one is squares and a very long term doohickey.

I will have socks on the needles by the end of today - I'm sure of it.

Last pair of these I made for Ma. I so liked the pattern I decided to make some for myself.

Pattern - River Rapid Socks by Sockbug - available for free on Ravelry.

Needles - 2.75mm circs.

Yarn - Lorna's Laces Shepherd & Sock in Bittersweet - these took about 1.25 skeins.

Spirogyro Greenies

green babies 004
Originally uploaded by loobles2002

Early Xmas pressie for Ma. She feels the cold and walks a lot so these are perfect and they match her coat.

Pattern - Spirogyro by Lynne Vogel availabe for free at Knitty.com and on Ravelry.

Yarn CTH Super sock in Green Mountain Madness.

Needles - 3.25 and 2.75mm dpns.

Time - in total 2 days but they were on the needles a weeks because I decided after glove one to have a break and finish something else.

My side of the bed.

green babies 003
Originally uploaded by loobles2002

This is what happens to my side of the bed when I get up to go in the shower, every day.

Rhinebeck

rhinebeck 008
Originally uploaded by loobles2002

Started Sept 2008, finished yesterday.....mmmmm took my time. Actually, although I love this and it's a great pattern, clever but easy - no seams to sew, it is very heavy being constructed all in one piece. So the time it took was due partly to it making my hands and wrists ache.

It's a lovely fit and I know I will wear it loads.

Pattern - Rhinebeck by Lisa Lloyd from 'A Fine Fleece'.
Needles 4.5m circs and dpns.
Yarn Cascade 220 - 6 skeins.

googoogahgah.

*head-desk, head-desk, head-desk* repeat as ness until you start to like the pain.

I've been having a 'meat in the sandwich' time lately. Not nice to live with 24/7. I am so very close to just walking away from a lot of stuff right now - that or maybe I'll just see the Doc get some happy pills and let everything else fade away into a cloud of meds.

Some of it funny (when it's not almost reducing you to tears) and some of it drags you down so deep you loose sight of the surface.

The blog (for now) is one of the things I need to walk away from right now, as it is one of the one too many things to remember and deal with.

Please excuse me for a while. I need space to learn to breathe and cope.

Doggy day out.

cousins
Originally uploaded by loobles2002

Lottie (middle), Fergus (botttom) and cousin Ruby (top) had a family play/walk today.

Such a trio of naughtiness.

Socks for Em

Even more knitting.....OMG could this be turning back into a blog about knitting.

Anyhoo, I knit these Plain Ole Vanilla Socks for my niece.

Knit on 2.75mm circs using Hot Socks - Dream, purchased from the lovely little 'WoolBar' in Worthing.

Pattern is my own aiming for a UK size 6, I was slightly corrupted by the wisdom of Wibbo to try an afterthought heel. She (as usual) was so right. I love this method - so easy, neat and cool.

They are all washed, blocked and ready to cosy up Em's toes through the winter.

More knitting

shurtagal 004
Originally uploaded by loobles2002

Shur'tugal Socks.

Serious 2nd sock syndrome with these.

Lorna's Laces - Shepherd & Sock - colourway, Motherlode. Used about 1 and 1/4 skeins.

Knit on 2.5mm KnitPro circs.

Nice pattern but not one I'd knit again. Clever way the heel and toes work out - well thought out.

Milkweed Shawl

milkweed 002
Originally uploaded by loobles2002

Yes, more knitting, at last I finished something.

This is a Milkweek Shawl by Laura Chau (http://www.cosmicpluto.com)

Knit on 3.5mm Addi Turbo circ using Handmaiden Casbah.

I love it. I love the pattern. Thank you Wibbo for inspiring me with yours.

I used 3/4 of one skein in a purple, black and brown-ish colour interspersed 1/2 down with a contrast that has the same colours but also firey ember colurs too. I love these mixes together and it made sure I had enough yarn to cast off with!

(Wibbo's one - which is gorgeous- can be found here - http://wibbo.typepad.com/wibbos_words/ or on her Ravelry page).