Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap Questionnaire

This swap seemed the perfect way to get ready for HP7
1. What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into?

I'm Ravenclaw apparently!
2. List your three favorite double-point needle brands, including size and length.

I use either 2.0mm or 2.5mm 30cm circular addi turbos to knit socks on. But do have a set of Brittany Birch 2.0mm and 2.5mm needles I use for the heel and toe if knitting top down. I like short sock needles.
3. Would you like to try a new brand needle? If so, which brand? Size? Length?

I think I quite like what I currently use, but am always willing to try others and need some more pairs of addi turbos!
4. If you are a RAVENCLAW, do you prefer the colors in the film or the book? Do you have a strong preference?

I don't really mind which at all.

5. If your pal decides to send candies or chocolates are there any that you don't like?

I like most chocolate/sweets.

6. What are your favorite scents?

Lavender.

7. Do you have any allergies?

None that I know of!

Monkey

It has come to my attention that there are a lot of monkeys in my life....

We went to see the Arctic Monkeys on Friday in Birmingham, they were great and it didn't make me feel old, unlike when I went to see Little Man Tate at the Astoria at the start of April - everyone was about half my age! Scary stuff. I bought the new Arctic Monkeys album today. I can't remember the last time I bought an album on the day it came out from a real record shop!
The monkey socks have one pattern repeat left until the toe... now I have to decide whether I will finish these before Brum Knit Night tomorrow and if I need to wind some more sock wool to take with me. Decisions decisions.

Monkey!

I don't seem to have achieved much on the knitting front this week. All we have are the 3/4 done Monkey socks. They should be ready to be gifted next Saturday. I'm hoping they will make up for me choosing a friends 30th birthday celebrations over Tony's mum's 60th birthday celebrations. I am not very popular in that house at the moment. Oops.

The other achievement is 1.5 squares of Holiday Shawl from RYC Classic Holiday. I bought the pattern book and the yarn for this from the House of Fraser sale (4 ply soft for £2 a ball and the pattern book for £2 also because it was the display copy). I am having a 70's party for my 30th in a few weeks and decided I needed a crocheted shawl. This bright pink goes very well with the 70's orange and pink tunic I bought to wear at the party from Primark; I'll share my costume at a later date - I was round at my mum's using the sewing machine earlier - and that's all I'll say!

I was inspired to buy the book from looking at the BritKnitCast Website where Carrie-Ann is making this amazing shawl out of left over sock yarn. I think this pattern for hexagon swirls will make an amazing blanket.

Lastly, you must check out this link to some great free vintage patterns, if you like that sort of thing.

Terry has been busy

I came home to find lots more moss in the box.

Ickle Birdie

For Christmas my lovely bf made me a bird box. But not any only birdbox, oh no, that is not Tony's style. This is a bird box with lead flashing and an infra-red camera, in order for us to be able to watch the birds make a nest, lay eggs, hatch chicks, feed chicks etc (you get the idea). The birdbox is mounted on the back of the house and there is a wireless transmitter connected to the TV in the lounge. Everyday since the middle of February I have come home and turned the TV to the AV channel to see if there is any bird box action. NOTHING. Until last Friday when Tony reported there was some moss in the box! Then tonight, I turned on the TV to find this.....
I feel like a proud mum-to-be showing off her ultra-sound! The camera is in the top of the box looking down (in plan view) so the photo above (in case you can't tell) is of a sleeping blue-tit.
I swear, if (s)he nests then I'm going to have to work out how to hook this up to a webcam so i can watch whilst at work.
Sorry, I had to share, as I was so excited about it!

Parcels, Progress and Podcasts

I had a phonecall at work yesterday lunchtime to say a very heavy parcel had arrived for me from Amsterdam and it couldn't possibly contain wool as it was far too heavy!
I arrived home to find this:An amazing Easter parcel from my SP10
I now have the largest supply of Easter goodies in the world (or maybe just in Wolverhampton). I will have to hide the biscuits however, as no soon had they been noticed by Tony he had a cup of tea and was tucking in! Thank goodness they weren't Stroopwafels as they would all be gone by now!I also have some amazing regia sock yarn in purples and greens that are just crying out to be made into Jaywalkers (or possibly another ripple type pattern from this book - a recent acquisition). Thank you for all of my goodies SP - they are fantastic.
Now onto progress - progress to me has meant some undoing. it shocked me to realise that I wasn't afraid to rip the Roza Sock I showed you at the weekend and start something else. I felt like the pattern was a bit lost in the Koigu, so I have progressed onto Monkey socks. So much better don't you think? A few months ago I would never have undone all of that hard work, even if I wasn't happy with it.
And finally podcasts - I can't believe I've lived without these for so long! I tried a couple of knitting ones about 18 months ago and they were awful and I was really put off. I listened to the Baddiel and Skinner World Cup podcasts in the summer and loved them and now, thanks to my Brum Knit Knight pals, I have discovered some good knitting podcasts! I have downloaded all of the episodes of Cast-On and alos Lixie's podcast for my knitterly enjoyment. They are both fab - if you can recommend any others, please do.

Happy Easter!

The secret pair of socks can finally be revealed. My commuting knitting has been these Child's first Socks from Vintage Knitted Socks in Lorna's Laces Iris Garden for my sockret pal. You can see better piccies of Wendy wearing the socks (and all of the other purple goodies I sent here)I felt like I needed a challenge when I started out on these socks but I was pleasantly surprised how easy the pattern was to memorise. I loved them when they were finished, but I was very happy to send them to Wendy who has been such a great person to spoil. I'm a bit sad now that sockret pal is over... but I do have SP10 to look forward to.... I sent my first parcel off last week and it was greatfully received and I'm looking forward to seeing what I get!
Our secret pal hostess has set us a quiz - 1) How old were you when you learned to knit? and 2) Who taught you?
I leant to knit when I was about 8 or 9. My mum taught me. She was a prolific knitter. I was looking through some old photos yesterday and every jumper and cardigan was made by her. I used to knit Jean Greenhowe dolls as presents for friends at school. I knit a bit whilst at uni - but usually toys. I started again when a colleague at work was pregnant about 5-6 years ago but again, it was a bit of a fad. it is only really in the last 2-3 years when I have had something on the go most of the time - again I guess it is the advent of all babies my friends seem to be having!
I spent most of last week on trains between London and Wolverhampton, or at least that is what it feels like. I have ended up with a finished Socks that Rock RPM sock at the end of it though. I love this, and I love that it is for me even more. Instead of casting on for number two I decided I probably needed to start on the socks for Tony's mum who is 60 at the end of April. Progress so far....
Roza's socks in the Koigu my Secret Pal 9 sent me.
And to prove that I do knit something other than socks, here is the finished "Thinking Dress" for Carys. I think I even have enough yarn left over to make a matching tank top for her new little brother!
And to complete the Easter festivities - some beautiful tulips from my lovely bf.
Right, off to play in the garden. Happy Easter everyone.

Blogging instead of Knitting

I have a birthday present to finish (in fact I have several), so I should be knitting, not blogging, but hey, I have lots to tell today beacuse I've had an actioned packed time I've had since my last update. It was the first Brum Knit Night last Tuesday in the Shakespeare. There were 6 of us in total; Susan, Heather x2, Emily, Sally and myself. Was a really fun evening, and it seems everyone is keen to come back. I need to advertise it a little more now to see if we can get a few more people.

I headed down to London this weekend to visit my long lost friends who I have been missing lots. I managed to fit in a visit to Stash in Putney on Saturday, where I met Alice (who was my downstream Secret Pal in the last round). In fact there were a plethora of knit bloggers including Jan, Nic, Diane and Amelia.
Alice was making the Cosy Tank Top I made for Carys for Christmas, in the wool I sent her and I am making the thinking dress for Carys that Alice has just finished for one of her friends. Proof, I think, that it was a perfect SP match!

Here is the progress on the dress

- front done, and the back is about 2/3rds of the way there too. There is a cable that turned the wrong way when I was talking instead of concentrating on Tuesday. I spent virtually the whole train journey down to London ripping back and reknitting and getting confused, so in the end I have left it and duplicate stitched over the top. It doesn't look great but I know it won't matter really (especially as I don't have to look at it every day). It Should be finished in time to send on Wednesday I hope - as it was a birthday present for this little fairy who was three last week. You can just about see the stripy teeshirt I gave her to wear with the dress when it is finished!(It's on the floor just under Mum's knee!)Lastly, sock eye candy for you. I copied Bryony - RPM in STR Farmhouse. FOR ME! Love the colour, however have already altered the pattern so the purl rpm's follow true - round and round like a record baby!
I should hopefully get more done this week as I have two more returns trips to London to look forward to. One work, one play! Let's hope I've recovered from my very late night on Saturday - or should I say early morning. Danced until 3am and fell into bed at 4.30am and then got up to phone for Glastonbury tickets at 9am. I was unsuccessful (boooo) however there is still a chance when the returns go on sale