This arrived in a lovely pink package this morning -

This is “Posh Yarn” which I won on their sale last Friday. My Sockret Pal is to blame for this latest yarn purchase. I knew nothing about Posh Yarn until she sent me a skein of it and so I checked their website and was gob-smacked! All there yarn is hand-dyed one of a kind which they put up for sale twice a week and once it’s gone, it’s gone - true one of a kind knitting.

This is three skeins of Lucia a 4ply sock yarn which is 30% cashmere, 70% merino and 1 skein of Saskia a 4ply sock yarn 20% cashmere, 20% silk and 60% cotton.

From the left Lucia “Fizz” (yellows & pinks), Lucia “Sweet Pea” (purples/blues/pink), Saskia “Heroine” (blue/pink/yellow/purple) and finally Lucia “Pop” (purple, green, yellow and a splash of bright orange)

One of my friends has been lusting after my blue & pink Shell Pattern Socks so I may knit her a pair in the “Sweet Pea” but I want to use at least one of these skeins for a lace scarf from the Victorian Lace book my Sockret Pal sent me.

Current Sock Knitting

This is the sock I am working on at the moment -

these are Bayerische - I mentioned some time ago that I really wanted to knit a pair of socks with little cables and here they are. One repeat completed! These are in Opal Uni in a lovely burnt orange colour…I think they may be a long-term knitting project

UFO update 

On the UFO front, Chrissy (my Rowan All Seasons Cotton pullover) know has a complete back and front- hooray, progress! and Echo has the ends sewn in on the back and one sleeve.

I have a very special love for the book Peter Pan - probably comes from being called Wendy. I don’t know when I first read the book, or how many times I have re-read it since, but it always amazes me each time.

The book was also, apparently, my dad’s favourite book when he was a boy and his younger brother was named Peter at his insistence! (not sure if I’m Wendy for the same reasons!). My dad is John so we only need a Michael for the set.

I always identified much more with Peter Pan than with Wendy - fighting pirates and indians sounded much more fun than having a Wendy house and looking after Lost Boys.

About 11 years ago I moved to Marlow in Buckinghamshire and in exploring my new town came across this drinking fountain at the end of the High Street

The fountain has an inscription indicating it is a memorial to Charles Frohman and, intrigued, I did some research to find out who Charles Frohman was.

I discoverd that Charles Frohman was a Broadway stage producer who, in 1905, bought the rights to a play by James Matthew Barrie which no-one else would consider. The play was, of course, Peter Pan, and it made fortunes for Barrie and Frohman. If you’ve seen Finding Neverland then Dustin Hoffman plays Frohman.

Frohman loved Marlow more than any place in the world and spent all his holidays there. He had even picked out a place to be buried in All Saints Church yard however he was drowned when The Lusitania was torpedoed in 1915 his body washed up on the shore of Ireland and flown back to America.

After the war his friends decided to erect a memorial in the town he had wished to take his last rest in. The model for the sculpture on the memorial is supposedly Pauline Chase, an american actress who lived in Marlow and was one of the first people to play Peter Pan in Frohman’s original production. Pauline often stayed in Burnham Beeches but spent a lot of time in Marlow where she would be joined by Frohman, collecting him from the station in her car and taking him to The Compleat Angler.

So - another link with Peter Pan in my life!

A little over 6 years ago I met J (my husband) we talked about films and music and books and I discovered that he too was fascinated with the story of Peter Pan. In fact when we were first seeing each other one of his friends laughed when told my name was Wendy saying “well it would be, wouldn’t it!”

J too has read the book more times than he can remember and I bought him a 1st edition for 1st wedding anniversary.

In addition to his love for the book there is another Peter Pan connection in his family. His parents have two Newfoundland dogs, Bosun and Otto. For anyone who doesn’t know Nana in the Peter Pan story (the children’s nanny) is a Newfoundland dog and not a St Bernard as depicted in the Disney cartoon.

J M Barrie’s and his wife, Mary Ansell, seem to have had an unhappy, childless marriage and Mary appears to have redirected her affections towards her dogs - Porthos a St Bernard and his successor Luath, a Newfoundland. Nana was probably an amalgam of both these dogs. (In the film Finding Neverland they morph these two dogs into Porthos, a Newfoundland!)

As a piece of trivia for you - my name “Wendy”- was invented by Barrie in affection for a friend’s little girl, Margaret Henley, who called Barrie her “friendy” but with a child’s pronunciation of the “r” this became “fwendy” and so Wendy was born.

And now, J and I are preparing to adopt a family - our own Lost Boys (or Girls) as J puts it - somehow it seems fitting.

This is a swap I signed up for a little while ago on swap-bot, the idea was to send three skeins (300 yards minimum) of “posh yarn” ie - natural fibres, in Spring time colours and look what I got from my swap partner Valerie

These yarns are lovely bright colours and the combination reminds me of crocuses - blue and purple flowers and green leaves - I may have to combine them all in a crochet or entrelac scarf or something - guaranteed to brighten things up

The yarns are -

Blue : Lana Grossa Cool Wool Merino 2000 , it’s 100% superfine merino

Green : Sandnes Mandarin Petit, 100% Egyptian cotton made in Norway

Purple : Misti Alpaca Suri Silk,  80% Baby Suri Alpaca 20% Silk

All three of these yarns are incredibly soft, especially the Alpaca Silk which I cannot decribe how soft it is…I just want to sit stroking it.

I’m really taken with the idea of some sort of scarf or throw which incorporates all three of these colours….any suggestions gratefully received.

This has to be one of the quickest knits ever!

Cast on about 3pm today and on J’s head at 10.30! It looks as if he likes it as well. This is to keep his head warm on his cycle ride to work and back every day - he needed a hat that was thin enough to fit under his cycle helmet but would still keep him warm

The answer? Halfdome

Pattern - Halfdome by Jesse Loesberg at knitty.com

Yarn - Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran (two part balls from my stash no ball bands so don’t know the shades)

Needles - 3.25mm and 3.75mm

…the Walrus said,”To talk of many things:

Of shoes–and ships–and sealing-wax–

Of cabbages–and kings–

(the Walrus and the Carpenter, Lewis Carroll)

This is blog is of many things: of squares–and swaps–and UFO’s, of crocuses–and cats–

So, non-knitting content first -

Snow

 Some more photos of the snow yesterday. It only lasted until about 9.00 before it melted away so all the photos are in the dark before the sun came up properly.

These were taken at 7.30 - sunrise is about 7.45 at the moment so just pre-dawn light with a close up on my fairy, Titania, who is staring at the snow in her cupped hands.

These were taken just 15 minutes later at 7.45 - just about sunrise. Simpson is looking out disgustedly and deciding he’s staying in the warm.

Crocuses

And a day later - just to show the amazing nature of English weather this is my garden today,

how’s this for a Springtime shot? These crocuses are in the pot containing one of my acers which yesterday had 3 cms of snow over it.

the primroses are out as well

and the hellebore - Christmas Rose - which my friend bought me for Christmas.

So, enough gardening - on to the knitting content

UFO update  

Of the 27 (yes Twenty-Seven!!!) UFO’s I dug-out and listed at the weekend there are still 26 unfinished. However I have been working on two of them.

Chrissy - All Seasons Cotton jumper - is in my current knitting project bag and I have knit to within 10 rows of the shoulder shaping on the front so quite a lot of progress there

Echo - striped Rowan Tweed/Kid Classic jumper - as this has lots of stripes there are hundreds of ends to weave in where the yarn couldn’t be carried up the side. I spent yesterday evening weaving in ends and completed all the ends on the front! just the back and two sleeves to go…..

Afghan Squares Swap

I have knit another two squares from which to pick my 4 to send for the Crazy Afghan Squares swap

This one is Jaegar Matchmaker Merino in a bright pink colour on 4mm needles. The stitch is a “knot stitch” pattern. Very easy ; row 1 - p1 (k1tbl p1) to end; row 2 - k

Looks quite good

and this one is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran on 4mm needles. A trianglur texture pattern which is quite effective - and looks good both sides actually.

Here is Simpson helping me with the blocking out

because, as anyone who lives with a cat will know, nothing ever happens in his house that doesn’t concern him!

Another swap

Finally - yet another swap. I have signed up for loads recently..I love getting parcels in the post

This is a Magic Yarn Ball and it’s my first go, here are some of the things I’ve been gathering together to wrap up in the yarn ball - and the RYC Lux I’m thinking of using.

The sign-ups close on 31st January so - still time to sign-up if you fancy joining us (Europe only I’m afraid) its on swap-bot here

…..snow had fallen, snow on snow…..one of my favourite poems “In the bleak midwinter” by Christina Rosetti which many of you may know as a

christmas hymn set to music by Gustav Holst…and it’s the first thing that came into my head this morning when I woke at 5.45.

Well, actually the first thing that came into my head was “Why am I awake at 5.45 in the morning” then I could hear J out on the landing and remembered he was getting up early today to get to Bracknell for a training course. The next thing that came into my head was “Why is J out on the landing taking photos?” as I identified the beeps and clicks I could hear as the noise of our camera.

Then I sat up in bed and looked out the bedroom window and then the first thing that came into my head was Christina Rosetti as I was greeted with site of a garden covered in snow.

This is the photo J was taking from the window at the top of our stairs

and this is the view from our living room

that’s Titania sitting underneath my acer trees where she sits in all weathers with the light spilling out from our kitchen window across the decking.

To those of you who live in places where it snows a lot this may not seem very exciting but to a girl who lives in the Thames Valley in the middle of England where it snows VERY rarely this has be dancing round the living room like a little girl.

Isn’t it amazing how much snow muffles sounds and changes everything? As I lay in bed before I got up I could hear nothing and then I tried listening for the sounds I can normally hear - the sounds of cars from the Marlow bypass about 1/4 mile away, the trains coming along the line from Bourne End to Marlow - no, I couldn’t hear any of them. It was wonderful

We have about an inch to an inch and a half I guess.

When it gets light I’ll take some more pictures.  

I am taking part in a swap on www.swap-bot.com called Crazy Afghan Squares. I have to make four 7″ squares to send to four different people - I’ve never made squares (no - really) and so I’m having fun experimenting with yarns and stitches.

Also, it’s helping me practice my crochet before I tackle Jasmine. I’ve completed four squares - but they might not be the four I send, I need to try some more.

Here are my four squares pinned out for blocking-

From the top clockwise these are

Blue Ice (pattern here)

crochet square using a 4mm hook and Sirdar Luxury Soft Cotton DK.

100% cotton yarn left over from knitting a baby sweater

Granny Rose (pattern here)

My first ever crochet project! I’m quite proud of it!

This was made with Opal sock yarn I had left over from a pair of socks I made for my s-i-l. Can’t remember exactly what it was now….I like the style but I’m not sure about using variegated yarn as it doesn’t balance the colours right….I may try this again with two or three solid colours.

Diamond & Cable square

knitted square to my own pattern, well not exactly a pattern just an aran stitch pattern I like!

Knit with Lily Sugar ‘n’ Cream cotton on 4.5mm bamboo straight needles.

Honeycomb cable square

another knit aran square with Sugar ‘n’ Cream on 4.5mm bamboo.

The honeycomb aran pattern is symbolic of hard work and it’s rewards so I think it’s appropriate for knitting.

This squares business is a great way of using up those odds and ends of yarn I have sitting around….I’ll have to do some more

The postman arrived this morning whilst I was waiting for a colleague to come and pick me up to give me a lift to work (the car broke at the weekend) and he brought me a parcel.

I had to hurry to open it before they arrived as there was no way I could go to work and not know what was in it. I was so excited when I opened it and realised it was my first parcel from my new Sockret Pal.

I rushed to find the camera and took some pics so here they are -

She wrote me a lovely note explaining why she had sent the things she did and she’s obviously been lurking here finding out all about me!

what’s in the parcel? Well first out was a fantastic book … 

combining my two favourite things - knitting and reading - has to be good.

The patterns in here are fabulous and should provide lots of inspiration…especially as I found quite a lot of lace weight wool when I was sorting the stash at the weekend

next was  this

that’s a skein of Posh Yarn Lucia Sock yarn in Passion which may become socks but on the other hand may become some lace. The colours are very me and I think it’s most likely to become socks as the colours are perfect to go with my clogs 

and I’ve been looking for some yarn to knit some clog socks for months! On the other hand a lovely lacey scarf/shawl to wear with my clogs would be fab too….I really would look Victorian then…off t’ mill wi’ ma clogs and shawl!!!!

Finally in my sockret parcel were these

The two things on the left are handmade toiletris specially for people training to walk/run any distance (to soothe my aching muscles from my Moonwalk training) there’s ”Marathon Bubble Bar Slice - refreshing, warming, minty bubbles to help you warm down after exercise” and “Wiccy Magic Muscles Massage Bar - essential oils for serious aches and pains” They both smell wonderful.

I have to stop my hubby eating the mini-eggs now……

Once again - thanks so much to my sockret pal….you know me far too well it’s quite scary.

One of the items in my ridiculously long UFO list is Jasmine, a cardigan in Rowan 4ply Cotton from Rowan 39.

I started this in the Spring of 2006 thinking it would be perfect for the summer to wear over little cotton dresses….unfortunately I didn’t read the pattern fully before I started and after I had knit all the panels I got to the bit of the pattern that said “with crochet hook pick up along left front, round back of neck, down right front and across back and crochet the lace border”

Hmmmm, slight problem, I can’t crochet. I have never been able to crochet. My grandma, who was a great crocheter, tried to teach me and failed. Jasmine was put to one side. I tried to follow the crochet instructions using some unwanted yarn and it looked awful. I really didn’t want to ruin this cardi so I put it to one side…I have friends who crochet so I thought, when I see one of them I’ll ask them to show me…..it got forgotten.

So now it has reappeared in my UFO list and I have to do something about it for THIS summer. So this weekend I taught myself to crochet. One of my crocheting friends gave me a book before Christmas “Learn to Crochet-A Beginners Guide” so armed with this and various internet sites I produced this -

My first ever crocheted granny square!!! It’s about 2″ square and knit with some left over Opal sock yarn.

I’m so proud of it! In the past when I’ve tried to crochet squares they’ve ended up like hats….no idea what I did different this time but it stayed flat - amazing

Spurred on by this success and having just signed up for the Crazy Afghan Squares swap on swapbot.com I looked for some more crochet square patterns and (not one to start with something easy) I have managed to produce this in just two days

This was crocheted with the same Opal sock yarn leftover, a UK no 11 crochet hook and the pattern was Granny Rose square motif at Patty’s Patterns

Once blocked it will be almost exactly 7″ square and so perfect for the swap….although I’m not sure I want to let my first ever successful crocheted item go…and being a harsh critic of myself I’m not sure it’s good enough to be sent to anyone as it was only knit with leftover yarn and the variegation makes it look odd. I may get some yarn in several colours and re crochet this motif in stripes however…

Anyway, it was only unpicked about 6 times before I got it right so that’s not bad is it - I learnt some lessons along the way…mainly that US and UK crochet terms are completely different - we say double you say triple, we say single you say double - I also kept forgetting to put in turning chains at the start of rounds…but I’m almost feeling confident enough to tackle Jasmine now.

Moonwalk training

The marathon training continued this weekend, today my mum and I went over to West Wycombe and walked from there along the valley to Saunderton and then back along the other side of the valley. It was a perfect winter day - amazing blue skies, sun shining and really cold. The walk was 7 miles and we finished in about 2 1/2 hours so not tremendously fast but we enjoyed it.

Finally, a gratuitous picture of my cat, Simpson, enjoying his Sunday

His favourite place - asleep on his cushion but close to the patio windows in case something occurs in the garden which needs his attention….

OK, ok I admit it - I am NOT a completer!

For some time now I have been thinking that I really need to sort through my stash of yarn and bags of UFO’s. There are loads. I know that. I am not a finisher. I love to start things - I love the idea of learning a new skill or technique, trying a new material or a new idea - but when I near the end of a project and all the new challenges have been met I lose interest and start looking for the next challenge.

Often this means the current project gets left in a bag as I move on to try the next new thing - I fully intend to complete the original project but I get sucked in and before I know it the new project is no longer new and…yes I look for something else.

These abandoned, unfinished projects sit in a bag in the lounge until I need to tidy up for visitors or something at which point they get cleared away into a cupboard “just for now” and then they really get forgotten.

When we moved into this house, 6 years ago, I had a couple of boxes of yarn and UFO’s and since then things have only got worse. So, SOMETHING had to be done.

As a sort of New Year Resolution I decided that THIS year I would finish these UFO’s…I thought that as a discipline I would make myself complete one UFO before I started each new project. I was pondering this when I became aware of the UFO Resurrection Challenge on Kat with a K’s blog. Perfect! So I signed up.

And today I dug out all the hidden bags and boxes and sorted through them (although I think there are probably one or two proving elusive and not wanting to be found so I’ll add them when they resurface) and made a list  - very scary!

Some of these were started so long ago I had forgotten all about them, some I don’t know where the pattern or the yarn came from. You will notice that many are fully knitted and only need blocking and sewing. The problem here is that I love knitting but hate sewing up..

 Those of a nervous disposition may not want to look but those who do I’ve added a UFO page

I will update this with my progress throughout the year but to start with here are two of the UFO’s I have made progress on this month -

Patons Symphony Sweater

A completed UFO already!!! This was unforgivable to be sitting in a bag as a UFO. It was knit, blocked and every seam sewn except one sleeve! So I sewed that seam this evening and - voila!

This is really soft yarn and a lovely comfy sweater. Just in time for the cold weather which is about to hit England!

I bought the yarn in Trago Mills in Cornwall years ago and knit most of it quite quickly.

Finished it about a year ago and sewed most of it up - don’t know why I didn’t sew all of it!

Someone once told me that when you write a to-do list you should always put at least one item on it which you have either already finished or are about to finish, that way you can cross it off and that motivates you more than having a long list of items with  nothing crossed off! So now I have one UFO ticked off!

Binary Scarf

Not so much a UFO as a current project that gets picked up and put down a lot. Started before Christmas and intended as a present for J but other Christmas knitting got in the way….now hope to complete before winter is over.

Pattern: knitty.com - Binary

Yarn: Stylecraft DK

Needles: 5.5mm dpn’s

Started: late December 2006

Hot-Socks Sockret-Pal Monkey

Finally, an update on these socks. One sock completed and I’m really pleased with it: