not my fault this time, I looked yesterday but Rachel forgot and didn’t post till today so here we are -

1. Have you finished anything since last week? Nope, as last Friday was the Friday before Christmas and since then I’ve been busy cooking turkeys, making plaster models with my God-Daughter and playing Lego Star Wars II not much knitting has been done. However I started a sock this morning with my Sockret Pal yarn (Socks that Rock) and I’ve finished one….however as it was done today it doesn’t fall in the week ended Friday…

2. Any fiber related resolutions? to knit some things for me rather than for everyone else.

3. What about your amount of fiber? Enough? Too much? Not enough?is it possible to have too much??? I have bags of sock yarn but would like some chunky yarn to knit some jumpers (sweaters)

4. What are your next projects in the works? hmmmm socks for my God-Daughters 6th Birthday - pink to go with the roller boots she got for Christmas. I have some Rowan Chunky that I want to make a jumper for me with. I have Binary for J to finish (barely started really) and I’m getting ready to start Shell Pattern sock for the January Challenge on the Knitting Vintage Socks KAL group.

5. And what are you working on now (again)? socks for me with the Socks that Rock yarn my Sockret angel sent.

Here’s an update picture -

Yarn: Socks that Rock “Xmas Rock” 100% Superwash Merino
Pattern: Knitting Vintage Socks adapted from the Lichen Rib, k3 p1 ribbed sock with Welsh Heel and Star toe
Extras: The box is a box of Sees Candies all the way from San Francisco which J’s uncle brought over for me. They definitely help with the knitting process!!!!

I am so excited - I got a package from my Sockret Pal Angel (and I apologies in advance for any typos in this post as I have had two glasses of wine and am at my in-laws having had a huge dinner)

This morning we left our house at about 9.45 to head off to Heathrow to pick up J’s uncle who was arriving from San Francisco. As I was backing the car out of the drive I noticed the post man coming along in his van and as he drew up towards us he started flashing his lights and beeping his horn. At first I thought he was protesting at me for blocking the road as I reversed out and put my seat belt on. Then I realised he’d jumped out of the van and was waving - “I think he might have a parcel for us” I said, so J got out to investigate.

“no.57?” asked the postie - “Yes” replied J.

“I saw you reversing out and thought, I’ll catch you - here’s your package”

As J walked towards the car I could see an Amazon logo on the box, had I ordered something for someone for Christmas and forgotten about it? As he got in the car I could see another label on it and realised it was from someone recycling the Amazon box.

“Where’s it from?” I asked. “Buffalo” says J. Hmmm, well I do know someone in Buffalo but she couldn’t possibly be sending me another package. Hang on - maybe it’s my Sockret Pal!!!!!

But we have to get to Heathrow to meet the plane! I have no time to go back in the house and open it!!! I’ll open it in the car when we get there.

Except the traffic is fairly heavy and by the time we get to Heathrow we have to go straight in to the terminal to meet the uncle and cousin. No chance to open the package. And it would be rather rude to get his uncle in the car and say “Do you mind if we just sit in the car park for 10 minutes whilst I open my parcel?”

So now I have to drive 250 miles down to the in-laws in Cornwall - with the package sitting on the back seat taunting me every time I look in the rear view mirror.

Finally at 4.30 we arrive in Cornwall, unpack the car, make frienfly noises to the in-laws and then at last I can sit in front of their fire and open my parcel and it was like Christmas all over again. I am so overwhelmed - thank you so much to my wonderful wonderful Angel.

Pictures -

This is me sitting on my mother in law’s sofa about to finally open my parcel

What’s inside????

All these little packages - a little pink tissue paper package. A sweet little carrier bag marked “The Elmwood Yarn Shop” and 3 (yes three!!!) little colourful gift packages that look like they probably contain yarn. What to open first?!!!!!

(btw - perfect place to open surprise parcels is in front of a real fire in a house in Cornwall above the sea with the wind and rain howling outside and a glass of wine on the table)

Inside the Elmwood Yarn carrier were all these goodies

…a “d-fuzz-it” comb to de-fuzz my woolies, a little knitting reference book to keep in my knitting bag, a bottle of lavender woolies wash, a tape measure (a girl can never have too many of these especially when she has a habit of leaving them in the bag with a WIP and forgetting where they are!), Udderly Smooth udder cream (this is heavenly), a needle gauge (perfect as I just lost mine), the most amazing pair of little scissors ever - they look like a pen but take the lid off and there you have a pair of snips, fantastic!!!, and finally and best a little box containing 3 aromatherapy roller balls - Adjust you Tension, Nimble Fingers and Knit Wit (for aching shoulders, creaky fingers and fuddled brains).

and there’s more -

This is the contents of the little pink tissue paper parcel. Four bars of Buffalo chocolate “Fowlers” - Caramel, Peanut Butter, Toasted Almond and Krisped Rice. These may not last much beyond tonight……..

So finally I come to these three intriguing little parcels and inside them is……

…and this is from the top -  Socks that Rock “Xmas Rock”, I want to start knitting with this RIGHT NOW!!!!!! Sockotta in a lovely pink (this may not be socks for me as it is my God-daughter’s 6th Birthday in a week’s time and I want to knit her socks to go with some great pink roller boots she got for Christmas) and a new yarn on me - Cascade Yarns Fixation - cotton/elastic yarn in a lovely burnt orange

I am so pleased with all this and want to send a HUGE thankyou to my angel in Buffalo  for making me feel loved once more!

THANK YOU!!!!

Was so busy yesterday doing errands and then had friends round for our annual pre-Christmas drinks & mince-pie evening that I didn’t get to do the Friday Fibre Five…so here is my Saturday Fibre Five . Questions courtesy of Rachel

1 Have you finished anything since last week? - a pair of Opal plain top-down socks for my s-i-law

2. Are all your fibre related Christmas gifts finished? at the moment I think so but no doubt, if this year is the same as every other year, I will have some brilliant idea for an extra little something for someone about midday on Christmas Eve and be up till the early hours finishing the last two fingers on a pair of gloves or something…..lol

3. What fibre related things are on your Christmas wish list? I actually have a wishlist at www.angelyarns.co.uk which I directed J at so hopefully…..what I’d really like is a ball winder, I pointed out to him that if I had one he would no longer have to sit with his arms out holding my skeins of yarn whilst I wind….also I’d love a new bag for my needles.

4. Did you make anything for the season? - I knitted a festive scarf for myself which I’ve been wearing with all my festive outfits…does that count? And I made Christmas puddings and cookies….but not from yarn obviously…..

5. Are you already planning fibre gifts for next Christmas?  no, I don’t start doing that till at least December 15th - if I wasn’t panicking with how many knitting days left it wouldn’t be fun.

Rachel also had this Meme which I thought was fun - stolen from the Domestic Bliss website

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper and ribbon and bows and glitter - I’m fanatical about wrapping presents, it’s my favourite part of Christmas apart from seeing everyone opening everything. 

2. Real tree or artificial? Real - always, accept no substitutes. This years tree is about 6 foot and purchased, as every year, from Toad Hall garden centre in Henley.

3. When do you put up the tree? We always get our tree on the last weekend before Christmas but as that would have been today with the way Christmas falls we got it last Saturday - the 15th December

4. When do you take the tree down? By tradition they have to be down by Twelfth Night (the 5th January) the evening of Epiphany as it is unlucky to take them down after that. There are lots of old English traditions around Twelfth Night. I always keep mine up until the 5th to keep the celebrations going as long as possible.

5. Do you like eggnog? It is an abomination and should be banned.  

6. Favorite gift received as a child? A doll’s house which my grandfather made for me. It stands about 2 1/2 foot tall and the same wide. It has two rooms on each of the 3 floors with a central staircase and working lights and fires. This was a present when I was about 5 and I still remember everyone being given their presents at my grandparents house and there being nothing under the tree for me. I thought I’d been forgotten but was too shy to say. My granddad asked if I’d go get him something from the kitchen and there was the doll’s house in the middle of the kitchen floor with a big label on it addressed to me. The doll’s house now stands on the landing at the top of our stairs.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, it’s a ceramic one I bought in Oxfam years ago and was made in Central America. It holds a tealight in the back so at night it lights up from behind. It always stands on the windowsill in our hallway.

8. Hardest person to buy for? My brother, and this year I found a great present but the website really screwed me and it hasn’t arrived so J had to go out this morning to find him something

9. Easiest person to buy for? J - get him a book or a computer game and he’s happy. He also loves anything you get him ….

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I send cards through the mail but only to those I am not going to get to see to wish “Happy Christmas” in person. What is the point of giving a card to someone I am going to see, isn’t the point of the card to send greetings of the season…if I see them I can wish them that in person…..Sorry, hit a bit of a pet hate there!!.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I think that my friends and family know me so well that I’ve never got something I didn’t like…

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Love Actually - watched it the other evening. Before that came out it was A Wonderful Life. Yes, I’m a complete sentimental fool.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? this year I bought something back in August but because I was at a Craft Fair and saw something perfect…I start whenever I see things..quite often when I’m on holiday as I’ll see things abroad that I wouldn’t get back home.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don’t think so…but I have removed a label from a wrapped present to give to someone I’d forgotten as I had other things to give to the original person!

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Mince Pies - homemade preferably. And Stollen.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? We have two sets on the tree, white and flashing coloured ones. However the coloured ones seem to have fused since they were put on the tree so at the moment there are only white ones and they look very sparse on the huge tree. We also have a set of coloured flashers along the bookcases in the lounge, a set of coloured lights along the kitchen cupboards and a string of little angels in the play-room window. (I love lights!)

17. Favorite Christmas song? Pop song would be Last Christmas (yes I’m a Wham! fan) carol would be Hark The Herald Angels.

17b. Christmas Song That, When You Hear It, Makes Your Eyes Bleed And Your Brains Start To Leak Out Your Ears, Because That Is Less Painful Than Having To Listen To That *&%^&$# Song One More Time! B*%$& Slade - Merry Christmas Everybody. As soon as I hear “It’s Chriiiiiiistmaaaaaaas” I just have to leave the room/shop/bar…

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? If I’m travelling to see family and as long as I’m actually there for Christmas Eve/Day I don’t really mind. This year we’re at home and my parents and brother are coming to us. Then we’re travelling to Cornwall to see J’s parents for New Year.

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeers? Wouldn’t have a clue.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? We have a star. My mum has an angel which I made when I was at Nursery School aged about 4. It is coloured card and has two ears of wheat for hair. It comes out every year and is tied to the top of her tree.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning of course - usually about 11 so the cook can get the turkey in the oven and the veggies prepared and then come in and open presents and relax before serving dinner.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? that people get so stressed about having enough food, the right presents, cooking their Christmas dinner just the way the latest celebrity chef says they should. That and the creeping disease which is taking over England and compelling people to turn the outsides of their houses into a semblance of the Las Vegas strip and run up electricity bills the size of the National Debt. My environmental principles tell me the waste of electricity and the light pollution can’t be good, my sense of style and good taste tell me they are extremely tacky. Leave the illuminations to Blackpool

23. Favorite Christmas Tradition? church carol service on Christmas Eve. It just gets to me every year.

24. Outdoor decorations? please refer to q.22. In England until about 5 years ago nobody would have thought about putting decorations outdoors unless you owned a mansion and had a huge fir tree which you might put a few coloured lights on or a town council when you would put street lights and a christmas tree in the High Street. Now every other house has huge inflatable snowmen, flashing reindeers on the roof and icicle lights hanging from the gutters. I can see one right now if I look out my window. I hate them! I blame the Americans and their tv shows and movies….the Christmas tree in the town is now not even exciting….

Happy Holidays everyone!

Another idea pinched from someone elses blog, this one from Doctor Dirt’s blog As the Yarn Turns. Take the first line of the first post on your blog for each month of the year. As Ive only been blogging for 5 months this isn’t a full year but I still thought I’d give it a go.

(my comments in italics)

August

have just bought three hand-dyed/spun yarns on eBay - all pretty fine so I’m going to be using little needles for a while I think!

(I made a lace scarf for my friend in Oklahoma with the peacock green, cherry blossom did indeed make a pair of toe-up socks and the hand-painted cheviot is still in the stash)

September

Yes - it’s another aran jumper!

(When I first started my knitting blog I decided to post some of my past finished objects as a reminder to myself of what I had knit over the past few years. This aran is one of my favourites and J loves it and wears it a lot, still, after about 2 years. I did have to darn a hole in the sleeve the other week though)

October

I’m so excited - I won the “Why is Mona Lisa Smiling” on Sonja’s blog http://knitwitcentral.blogspot.com/ and I’m so pleased.

(I really was excited about this - I never win things…and I mean never . I just made a scarf with some of the yarn I won and made some christmas cookies with the cutter.)

November

I have hives

(this was truly miserable. I went through October feeling very ill - as well as the hives I had flu and several colds, lost my voice and was generally “run down” - this is the doctor’s diagnosis - and the hives were the final straw. The hives kept recurring throughout November getting less severe each time. I was given really strong antihistamine to take every day. Have stopped taking them now and haven’t had a recurrence - touch wood - for about 3 weeks)

December

Someone asked me today if I would share the pattern for this scarf which I posted about a while ago

(this was the pattern for a moss stitch (seed stitch) keyhole toddlers scarf and my first time writing up a pattern. Despite knitting pretty much continuously for the past 30 years I always follow other people’s patterns and it’s only in the last few months I’ve started designing my own things. So far only socks and scarves but I fancy designing something bigger next year - my challenge for the New Year)

I am sitting at work thoroughly bored…there is hardly anyone in our office as everyone has been sneaking off this week for the Christmas Holidays…I have nothing to do as all the other offices who report in to us are also on holiday….I am thinking of asking my boss if I can take tomorrow off and then just come in Friday for the half day our office is open in case any emergencies blow up.
As a contract worker I won’t get paid if I don’t come in but I hate sitting “pretending” to be busy - particularly when there are so many things I could be doing at home….but for this afternoon I am sitting pretending to be busy and actually browsing around the internet.
So, to ease my boredom I am picking things out of other people’s blogs and posting them here to amuse myself - here goes -
First, what kind of flower are you? This was on Tisha’s blog Crazy About Sox

Next a MEME

Here are THE RULES:Each player of this game starts with the ‘6 weird things about you.’ People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says ‘you are tagged’ in their comments and tell them to read your blog.”

so here goes….
1) I’m Pteromerhanophobic (or Aviophobic) - that is I have a fear of flying, I don’t mean I’m just a nervous flyer, this is a real panic attack, nausea, get me off this plane before I kill someone phobia. Always had it and avoided flying until I was 22 years old (even to the point of bailing out on a holiday with friends 2 weeks before we were going). Eventually went to Venice for a weekend with my mum - just about survived the flight but spent the entire weekend feeling ill and worrying about getting on the plane to come home so didn’t fully enjoy the holiday. Since then have had hypno-therapy and now practice yogic breathing to help myself through the experience. I cope by denial - I put loud music on my personal stereo, read a book and don’t look around or, heaven forbid, out of the window….I also can’t put my feet on the floor of the plane whilst it’s in the air, I have to put my hand luggage on the floor and put my feet on that.
2) I own at least 10 pairs of slippers…many bought for me as Christmas presents from my best friend, Dawn…and all are very silly. I have a pair shaped like cats, Father Christmas, a fluffy pink pair with christmas trees decorated with led’s that flash when you press a button, two pairs of Shaun the Sheep (from Wallace & Gromit) one are mules and one full huge winter slippers, a greek felted pair with pom-pom’s my mum bought in Keffalonia, a purple pair with butterflies, another pair shaped like rabbits, blue velvet ones with glittery snowflakes, a pair shaped like bumble-bees and I’m sure there are some others I’ve forgotten. They all live under my bed.
3) I have an appalling memory but everyone thinks I remember everything because I’ve trained myself to remember. When I was at school I used to forget everything - to hand in homework, to take the right books to class and was always in trouble for it. My history teacher (Miss Card, she was amazing I hope she is well!) took me and my mum aside after this had been going on sometime and, after telling me off severely, suggested I buy the largest diary I could find, carry it with me and write down in it everything I needed to remember. I started doing this with a huge A4 desk diary which was so big I couldn’t lose or forget it…and it worked. These days I’ve graduated to a leather bound filofax but I still write everything down in it that I need to remember. The weird thing is that these days I don’t even need to check the filofax to remember what I need to do, it seems that simply the act of writing it down files it in my memory somewhere.
4) I have a curve in my spine - not really weird but I’m trying desparately to think of 6 things here. It’s a scoliosis curve and is pretty minor..I had physiotherapy when I was younger and these days I visit my chiropractor a couple of times a year and I’m fine
5) I’ve only ever been drunk once in my life and it was only about 3 years ago when I was well into my 30’s. That’s not to say I’m tee-total, I love to have drink with my friends but I hate the idea of being out of control so I know my limit and stop when I reach it. When I had hypno-therapy for the fear of flying my therapist and I came to the conclusion that this fear of being out of control was behind that. So there you are - I’m a control freak!!!
6) My mother and I used to be visited by the ghost of a cat in the house I lived in till I was 16. We both saw this cat independently of each other. It would cross the top of the stairs when we were in the hallway at the bottom of the stairs. The first couple of times we each saw it we were so convinced there was a cat upstairs that we went up to look for it. Our family did not have a cat (although I wanted one and it was top of my present list every Christmas and Birthday - Dad hates cats so never got one) but we assumed that the neighbour’s cat had come in through my bedroom window which opened onto the flat roof of our kitchen extension. Each time we looked all the windows were shut and there was no cat. Eventually we got used to it and I used to say “hello” to it. Could have been me projecting my absolute longing for a cat of my own I guess…..eventually got a cat when I got a house of my own and he has lived up to 30 years of expectation and longing, which is lucky.

I’m not tagging anyone specifically but feel free to consider yourself tagged.

We got our tree on Saturday and put the decorations up - here’s our lounge :

and a close up of my candle tree (a present from my m-i-l last Christmas) :

I spent most of Saturday baking (whilst DH was putting up the decorations). I made a mushroom wellington for my Christmas lunch (I’m vegetarian) which is now in the freezer until the Big Day, also made  mince pies and Christmas Cookies -

These were made with the cookie cutter and recipe sent to me by Sonja as part of my prize earlier this year.

The scarf I’m wearing in the pic was knit with the Fancy Fur which was also part of that prize (just to prove I have done some knitting!!!)

On the knitting front, as well as the Fancy Fur Scarf I finished the two pairs of socks I reported on last week (Fudge Sundae and Doctor Who) and sent them off to my friend Tracey for her children in time for Christmas. Hope they enjoy them Tracey! Unfortunately forgot to take pics of the final finished objects complete with non-slip paws - will have to get her to send me a pic of the girls wearing them.

Also knit up the Manos del Uruguay sent to me in the Knit Kit Swap to the wonderful wavy scarf pattern. Will take a piccy when the sun comes back (this may be about April) - it’s been thick fog all day here today and really icy this morning….brrrrrr scraping ice of the windows of my car before heading off to work has to be one of my least favourite occupations.

Anyway, back to the knitting - currently on the needles Binary for my DH, was hoping to be a Christmas gift but other items got in the way so it’s now an after Christmas gift. And also a pair of Opal socks for my sis-in-law.

Off to eat cookies and drink tea and snuggle up on the sofa….stay warm everyone.

So, in reponse to Rachel’s challenge here are my answers…now it’s your turn to answer the “Friday Fiber (or if you’re English “Fibre”!!!!) Five”

1. What are you working on now? A scarf for my hubby (secret but it’s very geeky and in the latest issue of knitty), opal socks for my sister in law, another pair of pixie feet

2. What’s in your UFO (unfinished object) pile? A stripey sweater from the Rowan book from Winter 2005 (I only started knitting in March 2006 and it only needs sewing uP!!!), a fairisle cardi in Rowan True 4ply Botany which will never be finished and the baby shawl which just needs the border sewing on

3. What is your favorite fibre? Rowan All Seasons Cotton & Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran

4. What is your favorite thing to make? Socks and aran/cable patterns.

5. What fibre do you absolutely hate? Sirdar snowflake as it is impossible to see if you’ve made a mistake, anything that’s 100% manmade

A friend of mine just called to tell me that he was listening to the radio and a programme just came on called “How to knit a poem” all about the links between knitting, poetry and the benefits of knitting in helping ease depression etc…he immediately thought of me and had to call to tell me to turn the radio on..

If you are able to tune in to BBC Radio 4 do so right now! I’m sure it will be on the listen again feature on their website

I just checked the BBC website and today’s was the 2nd in a series of 4 15 minute programmes - if you can check it out Wed 13th and Thurs 14th December, BBC Radio 4 at 3.45

You can also listen to the programmes on the Radio 4 website here

and some info about the programme and the presenter, poet Gwyneth Lewis, here

After some more research I found a site with some information about “knitting therapy” www.bhkc.co.uk/data/knitting_therapy.htm

- now I’ve been telling everyone for years that knitting is my way of relaxing/meditating/finding peace so this is no news to me!!!

Sorry about this but I’m going to moan to you again. I have just sat in my house since 8am waiting for Thames Water to come and survey our house prior to fitting a water meter. A girl called me last week to say they would be coming on 12th December between 8am and 1pm - so I booked a morning off work and sat here waiting for them…and waiting….and waiting.

At 1.02pm I called Thames Water to find out where they were to be told that there was a note on my file that they had cancelled the appointment for the 12th and rearranged for some time in January……however they neglected to inform me of this.

So I’ve lost a day of work just before Christmas (I’m a contractor so I only get paid for the hours I work) and will have to take another day off in January.

I’m fuming!!!!

However, to calm myself I have been writing Christmas cards and baking mince pies and trying desparately to get in the Christmas mood. For some reason this year I am really not feeling Christmassy!

On the knitting front, I have almost completed the socks I’m knitting on commission for my friend’s daughters - here is one and a half pairs and the final sock is on the needles now-

The pair on the left are Opal Petticoat shade 1295 - as I’ve been knitting them they have been making me think of Chocolate Sundae ice cream as the colours are really yummy!

The odd sock on the right is Opal Rodeo shade 1152. This I call the Doctor Who Sock, partly because the stripes remind me of a Doctor Who scarf (that dates me to Tom Baker doesn’t it!!!) and also because the little girl it’s for loves Doctor Who.

The two little girls are very different and so the socks are very different too.

The Opal Petticoat’s are designed to come just below the knee whilst the Rodeo’s are to come above the knee. Here’s the basic recipe -  I may write this out properly at some point for those not familiar with sock knitting.

Fudge Sundae Socks

Cast on  60 sts and then work cuff in 2×2 rib for 7 cms (long enough to fold over if wanted) then knit in stst (with a purl seam stitch) until the total length from co was 10cm where I began the decreases for the calf shaping. Decrease 1 st either side of the seam stitch on every 6th row until 48 sts remain. Heel flap was knit on 24 sts, heel shaping to leave 14sts, 12 sts picked up each side of the flap for the gusset then decreases every other row until 48sts remain. Foot was knit until 14 cms long then a flat two - decreasing 4 sts every other row until 12 sts remain for grafting the two. The foot length in total is 18cm and 17cm circumference.

Doctor Who Socks

The Rodeos had 76sts co and 2×2 rib for 3 1/2 cms then worked straight, with a seam stitch, until total length is 19cms. Begin decreases - 1st row skpsso at start of row, knit 3 rows st st, next row k to last 3 sts, k2tog p1 work 3 rows st st. Repeat these 8 rows until 52 sts remain. Heel flap worked on 26 sts, heel shaping leaves 14 sts, pick up 13 sts either side of flap for gusset then dec every other row until 52 sts remain. Foot is worked in st st until it measures 17 cms then flat two is worked, decreasing 4 sts every other row until 16 sts remain. Graft toe.

Will post more pictures of my completed knitting later.

I had my stall at the local school bazaar this Saturday - not terribly successful. Unfortunately the organisers chose to put myself and the other sellers who had paid for stalls in a side room tucked away in the back of the school and put all the face-painting, tombolas etc in the main hall. Consequently I think a lot of people didn’t know that we were there …. there were some great stalls as well, a girl with wonderful handmade jewellery, another girl with ceramic plaques and nativity scenes…and hardly anyone came to look.

I also heard from a friend who had knit a load of scarves for her daughter’s school bazaar that the woman running the stall had sold them for £2.50 - the wool cost her more than £3 for each scarf!!! It seems that some people don’t appreciate hand crafted items and have no idea of the work that goes into them.

I had finished these final items over the last couple of weeks -

A Noro Blossom shrug (quite like this so happy if it doesn’t sell”); ladies socks from Knitting Vintage socks in Regia Stretch colourway “denim”; circle shawl in Noro Blossom; Felted handbag in hand-dyed wool; Shell pattern socks in handdyed wool; spiral scarf in handdyed mohair loop.

I sold 5 or 6 scarves and a couple of other items and made about £60…not very impressive for 3 hours. Did get 2 orders for pixie feet for adults though, so now have to work out the dimensions for those.

So I have a box full of hand knitted items to sell - I sent an email round at work yesterday and hope to sell some there and also at my hubby’s office.

To top my day off on Saturday I had taken a photo frame to hold a sign telling people what I was selling and that I would take orders for slippers. It’s a wooden frame that used to belong to my Great Aunt and usually holds my wedding photo. It was the only thing big enough to hold the sign that I had. It was right in the middle of my table but somehow the woman on the stall next to mine managed to knock it off my table an break the glass and some of the tack came out leaving a piece of wood trim loose -not happy.

And finally this weekend I realised that my spoiler in the Sockret Pal swap as welched on her end of the swap deal. After emails with the organiser and trying to contact my spoiler I have been assigned an angel….thank you angel whoever you are …..and to my spoiler if you are out there and reading this, I realise that sometimes life throws up situations that mean we can’t keep promises but it would have been polite to inform the swap organiser, and myself, as we would have understood if there was a valid reason. I’ve been sitting expecting a parcel for 2 months so it’s very disappointing not to get anything……

Moan over!

On the needles at the moment, I’m knitting socks for a friends child as a commission from her for Christmas.