I think she likes it.....

Is that a smile of approval I see from little miss Hattie? Nothing else to share with I'm afraid so you'll have to do withe the cute baby photo!

And the winner is.....

Fiona! She suggested Jaywalkers, Tony agreed. Can THIS many people really be wrong?
And as J said, really they have to be stripey! (although the idea of cake on socks is very appealing!)
Fiona - email me your details to rooknitsSPAMatBADgooglemailDOTcom and let me know what you would like from either Lorna's Laces or Posh Yarns
In the knitting this week there has been an ickle pair of socks for baby Toby and I've started on Tony's Christmas socks. I decided to do toe up socks for a change, so spent last night learning how to do short row toes using this pattern. I did my measuring, but it was still too big, so I might have to rip it out and start again! Booooo. But it will be good car knitting for our trip down to Surrey tomorrow.

Stockings and gowns

The Christmas Stocking for Carys is finished:Pattern: My own standard top down sock pattern, with a bit of Fair Isle and Intarsia thrown in. The people and reindeer charts came from an issue of Simply Knitting, the snowflake was my design!
Yarn: Odds and ends from the stash.
Started: 9th November
Finished: 19th November
Comments: This was really fun! I am proud of my snowflake fair isle, which is far far better than the people or the reindeers. The heel looks a bit big, but I don't care! I don't think it will block either, but it is a Christmas Stocking so I figure it doesn't matter!

Now for the gowns. Check out the lucious long hair (ok, wig then)
Not the best photo in the world, but you get the idea. A great evening of fun and merrymaking was had by all!
The next day, the 30th birthday sock brigade got together for a photoshoot!

Birthday Socks (Post 100!)

Hello, welcome to my 100th blog post.
Here are the latest 30th Birthday Socks. A present for Rachel, who is 30 today. Pattern : Posh Yarns called "Slip Up Socks"
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in "Purple Club"
Started: 27th October
Finished: 14th November
The pattern is great and really easy to memorise. It looks great on, but a bit rubbish when you are knitting it as the ribbing pulls it in lots. I love the feel of the Lorna's Laces, Tony had his LL socks on the other day and they are so so soft after a couple of washes. I must make myself some soon! These were another triumph in the commuter knitting stakes, knitted completely on the bus and train between Wolverhampton and Birmingham.

In order to celebrate my 100th post and the fact it is exactly 6 months until MY 30th birthday I think I should run my own little competition...
Leave me a comment to tell me kind of socks I should make MYSELF for my 30th birthday out of the Lorna's Laces in Watercolour I bought from Get Knitted at the NEC (second from left). It can be something I have made before or something new. I just want the best possible pattern for the yarn.
Prize will be in keeping with the theme - some Lorna's Laces or Posh Yarns Lucia sock yarn in a colour of your choice! I will let Tony pick the one he likes best at 8pm GMT on Thursday 23rd November. GOOD LUCK!
I will leave you all thinking whilst I go and wrap presents and make chocolate cake and prepare for our medieval banquet at Coombe Abbey this evening.

Blankets and Christmas

The sun came out on Sunday and I finally got to take a picture of the finished blanket for baby Hattie. Here it is in it's full glory.

Pattern: Made from 2 different squares from 200 Crochet Blocks with a single and double crochet border.
Yarn: Jaeger Aqua Cotton in 316 - Ruby, 331 Marigold, 330 Daffodil,303 Herb, 317 Blue agate and Comfrey (which is discontinued)
Started: Mid September 2006
Finished: 10th November 2006.
I'm packing this up to send off tonight. The cotton isn't anywhere near as soft as the Baby Cashmerino that I used for this blanket, but I think it works really well with the crochet squares and the colours are bright and rainbow like, just as I wanted them to be. Fingers crossed it is a success. Now I have 3 months until the next baby is due, I should get cracking really!
Instead I have been making this:
A Christmas stocking for little Carys. I decided it would be a good time to practise some fair isle. I got in a big tangly mess to start with but have it a little bit more sussed now. The snowflakes at the top where my deisgn and I am shocked at how well they came out, but the people and reindeers came from a chart in Simply Knitting. Not long to go now before the heel, must remember to give the reindeers feet first. AND it is all using oddments from my stash. How cool is that?
Whilst I was making the stocking, my Christmas Cake was baking. The tried and tested Irish Whiskey Cake... I'll decorated with glace fruits and nuts just before Christmas. Yum

A Meme

I have been to the pub. I can't be bothered to take photos of the (nearly) finished blanket or (halfway) finished birthday socks tonight, so you will have to deal with my babbling instead!

Spotted this over at Spitting Yarn:
1. Flip to page 18, paragraph 4 in the book closest to you right now, what does it say?
"But there were lots of important things. It was important to look calm and confident, it was important to keep your mind clear, it was important not to show how pants-wettingly scared you were......" from Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett.
2. If you stretch out your left arm - as far as possible, what are you touching?
An exercise bike. Not mine I hasten to add.
3. What’s the last program you watched on tv?
The news on Monday I think...
4. Without looking, guess what time it is.
Time for bed, about 11pm maybe - it is 22.50
5. Except the computer, what can you hear right now?
Nothing
6. When was the last time you were outside and what did you do?
About an hour ago, walked from the pub to the train and then from the train to a taxi and from a taxi to my house.
7. What are you wearing?
My pj's - well it is bed time!
8. Did you dream last night? If you did, what about?
Not last night. On Monday I had a very weird dream. One of those realistic ones where you think it is true. I dreamed that my best friend had a child when she was travelling in Australia and had sent it to live with her parents who had raised him. He was 5 and my best friend was cross I had never knitted him anything and never acknowledged his existence. I checked with Lauren, and it is complete fabrication. There is no child and she is not cross with me. Phew.
9. When was the last time you laughed?
In the pub tonight, at something not very memorable.
10. What’s on the walls, in the room you’re in right now?
Wallpaper. Nothing else.
11. Have you seen anything strange lately?
A small cat in the pub tonight. I don't think the pub is a place for kittens. A man in the car this morning who had the biggest perm in the world. I think it was a wig.
12. What do you think about this meme?
It is passing the time and giving me something to blog about that doesn't require photos.
13. What’s the last film you saw?
Harry Potter (3) on DVD at the weekend.
14. If you became a multimillionaire, what would you do with the money?
Buy a lovely house for me and Tony.
15. Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.
I have the worst singing voice in the world... ok, most people know that... this is hard...
16. If you could change ONE THING in this world, without regarding politics or bad guilt - what would it be?
Oooh, another hard one. How about making sure everyone had something to smile about at least once a day.
17. Do you like dancing?
Yes, but I wish I had rhythm like my friends Kerry or Suzie
18. George Bush?
tit
19. What do you want your children’s names to be, girl/boy?
Tom or William for a boy. I like Charlotte for a girl.... Tony isn't so keen. It is hard to think of names that go with Huskisson.
20. Would you ever consider living abroad?
No. I would miss my friends/family too much.
21. What do you want God to tell you, when you come to heaven?
Don't really believe in all that.
22. Who should do this meme?
Anyone who needs something to blog about and can't be bothered with pictures!