Happy Easter

After 40 days with no chocolate I am trying very hard not to eat this all in one go!

Happy Easter everyone! We seem to have avoided the horrible weather and snow here in the Midlands. I've spent the morning out in the garden moving soil to make new borders and cleaning my greenhouse ready for spring planting. I think I deserve some chocolate and knitting time now!

A parcel to cheer me up

I've been under the weather for the last couple of days with some nasty cold/sore throat/virus thingie. I know I'm not well as I did *NO* knitting yesterday when I had the day off work. I made the journey into Birmingham today but knew my UK Swap parcel was on the way. I was convinced it would have been taken to the sorting office, but my lovely postman had managed to hide it in the recycling bin! I must've looked a little strange trying to reach into a massive green wheelie bin in my work suit!
Here are the fab contents of my parcel:

My swap pal was Sarah, who I failed to find despite lots and lots of clues!
She sent me... Muffins - a cook book I've wanted for ages and has made it into my Amazon basket on numerous occasions but has been removed at the last minute. I'll have to try out a few of these recipes when I'm feeling better. A lush bath bomb to help me sleep, a Lindt chocolate bunny which I will be saving for Easter (no chocolate for me until then), some purple tea lights , a fab purple tote which matches all of my other purple accessories, a sock pattern , a skein of Posh Yarn Eva in Tinkerbell, a wonderful greeny/browny colour and finally, some sock yarn that I've been trying not to buy for myself, the Kaffe Fassett Regia 4259 colourway.
A perfect parcel to cheer up a dreary day... thank you so much Sarah , I love it all!

Just enough time for a blog post

I don't know where the evening has gone! All I've done is put a load of washing on, had dinner and wrapped up my parcel for the UK Swap. I am hoping Tony will take it to work to post as the box is massive and I don't fancy taking it to Birmingham on the train tomorrow!
I think there is just enough time for some finished objects before Skins starts on E4!
I ventured down south this weekend to see Owen in his birthday jumper....



I managed to finish my Cranford Mitts on the train

And I have been keeping my hands nice and snug in them today. The best thing? I can still knit whilst wearing them. Yipee. Perfect for commuting knitting.

Started: 1st March
Finished: 9th March
Pattern: Cranford Mitts by Jane
Yarn: Yarn Yard Merino. I used about 1/2 a skein of the MC (Mysteron) and a tiny bit of the contrast Gaskell)
Needles: 2.5mm dpns
Comments: A really quick knit. The horseshoe lace pattern is very easy to memorise. The increases for the thumb are so simple I would never have thought of it. The are a lovely snug fit perfect for keeping my hands warm whilst knitting out and about. I think I might make more of these as Christmas presents! I also intend on using the horseshoe lace pattern for a pair of socks sometime soon.
I also started on my Mr Greenjeans cardigan. Not much to see at the moment. One more pattern repeat before I take off the stitches for the arms. I am loving the Malabrigo and the purpleness of it all.

A purple patch...

The socks are done. My mum came out of hospital on Thursday evening so I took Friday off work to spend with her, just in case her heart started racing again. Luckily she was fine, just really tired and I got lots of knitting done.

Pattern: Whitby from Nancy Bush's Knitting on the Road
Needles: 3mm Circular and dpn's
Yarn: Posh Yarn Emily in Canary yellow.
Started: 24th February
Finished: 29th February
Comments: An excellent pattern for slightly thicker yarn. I think the cables look great and the diamond pattern in the middle of the sock makes it really easy to remember when to cable. These had a square heel construction, which I've never done before. I was worried it might make the underneath of the heel too narrow but the socks fit well. I wore then all day yesterday and they were very soft and lovely on my feet, however I'm not sure the yarn will stand up to lots of wear as it has already gone quite fluffy in places. I think they may have to be kept for sofa socks!
Saturday started out well. My socks had dried over night so I could wear them. The postie arrived with my merino for Jane's Cranford Mitts from Natalie at The Yarn Yard. I managed to wind two balls before dashing out of the house to meet Fiona. We were heading over to the Ravelry Fun Day at the Crafty Cottage in Warwick.
We met Rachel and Alison on the train and wandered up the hill into Warwick. When we arrived the shop was packed out with knitters. I headed straight for the Malabrigo! Jo put on a great spread and there was so much amazing yarn. Here is a photo taken later in the afternoon when things had calmed down.

I amused everyone with my purple obsession!

I came home with 6 skeins of Malabrigo worsted in Cuarzo and one in Purple Magic. It is destined to be Green Jeans from Knitty. As you can see I've already wound one ball! I couldn't resist the laceweight Dark Purple 90% silk, 10% Cashmere from "Shades of Cashmere". I am thinking of making Matilda from the first edition of Inside Loop
Fi's purchases lived up to her Ravelry name, Scarlet Princess - she came home with lots of red yarn!
I managed to tear myself away from the wool and the food and get started on my Cranford Mitts. I found a mistake in the pattern on the way home, so these need ripping back to the cuff. I emailed Jane last night and woke up to a corrected pdf file this morning! Thanks Jane :o) The edging is in Gaskell and the main colour is Mysteron. I also have a skein of Aubergine, because I couldn't decide which would go better with my coat!

I've spent Sunday catching up on my sleep, taking photos and blog reading. Now I have to decide whether to have a couple of hours tidying up in the garden at the new house and planting the gooseberry bushes I bought for £1 yesterday or carrying on with the patchwork I started last weekend. I don't think it is too bad for a second attempt. I've even managed to quilt it!