Sickness helps the stole grow

I've been off work since Wednesday with food poisoning. Or at least that is what the doctor thinks it is. This has allowed me a lot of time sitting on the sofa watching films and knitting. This is something I hardly ever have the luxury of doing, so despite the pain and nastiness of being ill, it has been an ok 3 days.
I've finished the Lacy Jacket for Hattie BeaThe pattern in from a Vintage Emu book I found on ebay.
Yarn is Rowan Cashsoft DK and it took about 2.5 balls I think, maybe a little more.
I started this last December, as a potential Christmas present, but it was going to be miles too big, hopefully it should fit her now. She will be 1 in about 10 days time.
My favourite is the little elephant button:
I have also managed some more on the MS3. I had a go at blocking it with the steam iron earlier, it seemed to work quite well (although now I can see the mistakes more). I've just finished the first chart of clue 4, which I think means I am about half way through.
It has been feeling distinctly Autumnal around here lately, so I decided to put my Posh Yarn to good use, and I'm making myself a cosy "posh" new scarf. It is a mini-clapotis. Modified using these instructions.
I can't wait to wear it, hmmmmm a cashmere scarf, what a treat.

Since I last wrote...

I have been to Rome!It was a work trip - our annual away day to do a little bit of training and a lot of drinking. I even got to see some sights - most of them from a golf buggy racing through the streets! It was fun, Rome is amazing, however I am sure the Romans are glad our little gang have left.
Luckily when I got home the veggie patch was still looking good.
We have (L-R) Aubergine, Salad leaves, courgettes, carrots, butternut squash, turnips, sunflowers and mint. In the greenhouse behind we have cucumbers and tomatoes at the front and peppers and chillis at the back.
Everything was planted very late as the patch wasn't built until the end of June- so I haven't had much of a crop. However I did manage to pick this little lot of mini-veg for tea tonight!
Talking of mini things, Isobel's booties were finally finished and sent off to Australia along with some matching baby grows and the butterfly I made.
Pattern: Saartje's Bootees
Started: 9th August
Finished: 17th September (but only took about 2 hours to make!)
Yarn - Jaeger Aqua Cotton.
Returning from the WIP pile is this:
I started making this lacy jacket from a vintage pattern book for Hattie for Christmas when I realised it would be miles and miles too big I made a tank top instead. Luckily I think it will fit now -I can hardly believe this tiny baby will be one in a couple of weeks! I managed a front and half a sleeve last night.
Finally - one Fruit Salad sock down, one to go.
It is Brum Knit Night tomorrow so I'm looking forward to some woolly conversations and then I've got my sewing class on Wednesday! Yipee

Toronto and Niagara Falls

I'm back, and we had an amazing time! Can you believe this is all I bought?
Well ok, some purple crocs and a purple Roots hoodie may have some how ended up in my case but I don't know how that happened!
Toronto is a great city, great for just ambling around and taking in the sights and sounds. I visited Romni Wools and Lettuce Knits in Toronto. Romni has more wool than I have ever seen, but only the sock yarn above grabbed me. Lettuce Knits was very cute, and very busy on a Sunday afternoon.... however I didn't like the Handmaiden colours they had, there was only one skein of Koigu and no STR so I came away empty handed! I think Tony was a little shocked. The fabric came from shop very near to Romni, it is exactly what I had been looking for to make another Frenchy Bag.
I only managed a tiny amount of knitting on my holiday too. I started my first Pomatomus in the KoiguKPPM I bought at Stash last year. So far so good...
At the last minute I decided to take my September Yarn Yarn sock club yarn for a generic top down, knit anywhere sock... Fruit Salad or what?
Finally I'll leave you with a selection of my favourite photos from our trip. You can see more (a lot more) on Flickr here.

Firstly Toronto....A view of the skyline from the Hippo tour (a bus that turns into a boat)

Then onto Niagara - I can't explain how amazing the falls are, or how much like Blackpool the town is. We had a fabulous room overlooking the falls which was breathtaking!

Sunrise from the hotel window

A rainbow over the falls - also taken from the hotel room

Me at the top of the Horseshoe falls

The Horseshoe Falls and the Maid of the Mist boat

American falls by night

And lastly - fountains outside the new Casino... I like the lights on the water.

HSKS3 Triva - Better late than never

I hope I manage to finish this before the snitch is found....Yeah Gryffindor

1. Who is the Hogwarts teacher that Voldermort performed the Avada Kedavra curse on in Deathly Hallows?
b. Charity Burbage
2. Who replaces the Muggles studies teacher in Deathly Hallows?
c. Alecto Carrow
3. When Harry meets Mr. Olivander for the first time, which wand law is introduced?
c. The wand chooses the wizard.
4. According to Mr. Ollivander, what is not necessary to take true possession of another wizard’s wand?
a. to kill the owner
5. If you know anything about Harry Potter, you will know that Harry’s
Patronus is a stag. But what is his best friend Ron Weasley’s Patronus?
d. Jack Russell Terrier
6. Now for the third member of the trio. What form does Hermione Granger’s Patronus take?
a. Otter
7. What did Mrs. Wealey make to eat the first night that Harry arrived at Grimmauld Place?
a. Stew
8. In book 5, at the start of term feast, what is Ron eating when trying to talk to Nearly Headless Nick?
c. Roast potatoes
9. A half-giant called Rubeus Hagrid takes you to Diagon Alley for the first time. To get there, you go into the courtyard of a pub called the Leaky Cauldron. There, Hagrid taps a certain brick on the courtyard wall three times with his pink umbrella, revealing the entrance to Diagon Alley. As he decides which brick to tap, he mutters instructions to
himself. What instructions does he mutter?
b. Three up…two across
10. The first place you go in Diagon Alley is Gringotts bank, where you can withdraw money from your vault and Hagrid can withdraw a top-secret package from Vault No. 713 on Dumbledore’s orders. On the second set of doors leading into the bank you notice a poem written. These are the first two lines:
Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
What is the next line?
d. For those who take, but do not earn

Picture Scavenger Hunt
Rolanda Hooch
Firenze
Argus Filch
Moaning Myrtle
Colin Creevey

Canadian Affair

Just a quickie as I don't know if I'll have time to post again this week. Tony and I are off to Toronto on Saturday - it is my (very posh) 30th birthday present from him. I am very excited.

Along with all the predictably cheesy touristy things like a baseball game and dinner at the top of the CN tower does anyone have any recommendations of other things we should do, places we should eat and dare I say yarn/fabric shops I should visit?

I've got a list of Yarn shops from the Yarn Harlot (who else) and am hoping to make it to at least one - so if anyone has any hankerings after Canadian yarn let me know and I might have space in my suitcase for a skein or two. I don't have any fabric shops on my list yet however - so any recommendations would be greatfully received. Talking of fabric.... I'll leave you with my new bag, made on Sunday. Well everyone needs a holiday tote don't they?

Pattern is Frenchy by Amy Butler from Get Knitted.

The butterfly fabric is from Hobbycraft, along with the lining and the stripy fabric is from JL a couple of years ago in the sale.

Falling behind

I feel like I've been falling behind a little with the blog over the last week or so, looks like my social life must've picked up :0)
All I've got to show is this little amigurumi butterfly I made to send off to Australia to match these booties.I haven't even managed to post off the parcel yet and Isobel was born quite a few weeks ago now. Oops. Along with a few other parcels I have been meaning to send.
Now that the manic knitting for 30th birthday's thing is over I find myself at rather a loss. MS3 continues - I've finished clue 3 but haven't looked at it since Monday. I've finished my Yarn Yarn socks (pictures when they come out of the wash) and I'm 3/4 done on the brown socks I started in July for Tony.
I started the Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts with the Mirasol I bought last week - but the colours were all wrong so I frogged it! I spent last night planning to make"Fyne" from the new Rowan book. I've ordered (and received) the felted tweed and I've made a new chart in Excel which will be easier for me to follow as my colour choice is different.
Brown for the main colour (how predictable) and then the others for the Fair Isle.

I am also going to try to knit it in the round upto the arm holes, as I fear my tension will be much more even that way. Swatching later I hope - that's if I get all the chores done. Lots of washing and cleaning to do as we are off to Toronto next weekend - Yipeeeeeeeeee!
Finally - I'm also behind on posting for the Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap -

1. What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into? Gryffindor
2. List your favorite double-point needle brands, including size and length. Or would you prefer circulars? I love Britanny Birch 15cm's (somewhere between 2.5mm and 3.5mm). However most of the socks I knit are on 30cm addi turbos.
3. Would you like to try a new brand needle? If so, which brand? Size? Length?
I'm up for trying anything!
4. If you are a RAVENCLAW, do you prefer the colors in the film or the book? Do you have a strong preference? I'm not Ravenclaw
5. Do you have any allergies?Nope
6. If you are swapping scarves - what is your desired length for the pattern? This will help your partner find the pattern that is just right for you and buy yarn accordingly. I'm swapping socks