Tag: Birthday

Let’s start with that pesky crocodile!

Photographic evidence of him prowling around the farms livestock… Felix has actually been having a ball playing with him as part of her farm, though she now insists that I need to knit some tiny ducks to keep him company in the pond.

Company, eh? More like snacks…

Anyhow, cuteness aside, I just finished another little project:

A pair of ‘magic mittens’ – I’ll get to the story in a moment, details first. The mitten pattern is a free Ravelry download called The World’s Simplest Mittens by tincanknits – and it’s true to its name.  There’s schematics for different sizes of mittens in all different weights, and it’s clear and concise. Definitely a keeper of a pattern. The elephant chart itself is from another free pattern – Elephant Hat – Child Size by Kathleen Taylor.

Story time now. My bosses little one, and Felix’s ‘best friend’ has really bad eczema. And of course, it itches. As a sufferer of eczema myself, I know just how hard it is not to scratch. She’s three. She wakes up looking like she’s been butchered in the mornings from scratching so much.

So, Magic Mittens it is! Lightweight cotton mittens in the colours she picked out with an animal of her choosing on them, and ties that can be double knitted so she won’t be able to pull the blasted things off.

I was made to wear wooly mittens as a child. In summer. These are a much kinder alternative! Fingers crossed they’ll help – if she can stop scratching long enough for her cream to work…

And last but not least: St Gertrude’s Day.

On March 17th, also known as St Patrick’s Day, it happens to be St Gertrude’s Day too. She is the patron saint of cats, gardeners and mental health. When we fostered cats, as we never knew their actual ages let alone dates of birth, it became habit to celebrate all the cats birthday on St Gertrude’s Day. This year, even though we know Dashi’s birthday, we still don’t know Crumble’s (we reckon she’s getting on for eight years old now!) so the tradition continues.

Felix was particularly happy to help celebrate the cats birthday, there was presents and special cat came too – tuna cake with salmon paste ‘frosting’.

I personally think yuck, but Engel happily ate one of the spares and went on the prowl for more. Not that the cats lefts much in the end!

Starting total – 650

Wool used – 25 (1 since last post)
Wool bought – 0
Wool given – 46
Wool gifted – 16

Total – 655 (So close to getting back to that starting total!)

 

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For lots of baby knits!

This is a little blanket for Felix’s childminder’s daughter’s baby. (Say that five times fast – I knit a blanket for her first born last year) and is based on the free pattern ‘Jericho Baby Blanket’ by Shana Schasteen. I also added a fluffy trim to make it even more snuggly! The photo is it folded up, just so you all know!

Another two adorable pair of bootees for the new mum whom I made a set for featured in this blog post. Same bootee pattern, just different detailing. The pom poms I winged, the butterflies though are a free Ravelry download ‘Springtime Wreath, Butterflies’ by Frankie Brown. So cute!

But I couldn’t just make two pairs of very (pink) bootees, that’s a bit boring!

So I made these monster feet! It’s a free pattern again – ‘Monster Baby Booties’ by Needyl and they are so very, very cute. But a baby needs a hat to match such cute shoes! Especially with winter approaching…

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It’s a monster hat!!!! And it matches (same fluffy wool, same contrast wool). Yet another free pattern – ‘baby monstaa’s very scary bonnet’ by Jones & Vandermeer.

OK, I’ll admit, no Christmas knitting has taken place at all this past week, but the main reason wasn’t because of all the very cute distractions, but because it was Felix’s third birthday on Wednesday! I took the day off work and we had a ball at the ice cream farm, and today we had a few friends and family attend a little gathering at Stockley farm (it’s dog friendly so Felix’s doggie ‘cousin’ Missy could join! She has her own blog btw, it’s worth a look for those looking for doggie adventures of their own)

Alright, it’s been a long day and I for one am tuckered out. So I’ll leave the blog post here and finish off with the wool count – five balls used this week! OK, almost all of that was in the blanket, but hey, five balls used is five balls used!

Starting total – 697

Wool used – 105 ( 5 this week)
Wool bought – 13
Wool given – 7

Total – 612

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Cthuhlu phtang!

This time last year I posted about how awesome my friends are. How they all donned on cat ears and played Cathuhlu all just for my birthday.

They out did themselves this year, and I have to say, my friends are more than awesome, they’re amazing!

I mean seriously, look at this cake!

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It’s the Necronomicon, as a cake!

It’s not the first amazing cake that particular friend of mine has made for my birthday, two years ago, it was this tentacular beauty!

Tentacle Cake 2~2

In case you haven’t all guessed, I’m obsessed with Cthuhlu. I’ve read all of H. P. Lovecrafts mythos stories, own numerous RPGs (Call of Cathuhlu, Delta Green, The Laundry, as well as numerous source books) I even created my own knitted Cthuhlu pattern!

It also happens to be my literally just now finished project:

Cthuhlu mittens!

This is based on the free Ravelry download Cthulhu Mittens by Lyle Stafford. I changed mine so that I can, let’s say, rather than pet Crumble with mittens:

I could…

Scritch her with my fingers instead!

I sense more mittens in my future as I had a lot of fun with these, but there are other projects to be done first…so many projects, so little time…

In other news, I went to the pop up knitting show in Port Sunlight (as it was pouring with rain, good ol’ British weather!) And accidentally bought myself a very nice little ball of wool that was positively singing to be a shawl. So that is what it shall be.

And that is what will be in my needles next!

Starting total – 697

Wool used – 91
Wool bought – 10
Wool given – 4

Total – 620

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Today is Engels birthday, so this weekend (a bank holiday weekend at that) has been filled with much fun and games. Saturday was a quiet family day, mooching about the local village, enjoying the good weather as well as people who hate the heat can do.

Yesterday we had a ‘sushi sunday’ (£1.20 a plate sushi!) And after being thoroughly stuffed, kicked off a new Call of Cthuhlu campaign, but with the twist of introducing the Laundry. (Think secret government department that covers up and contains all mythos related events, but with classic British Beurocracy, red tape, HR, and so much paperwork to be completed in triplicate that it really is easier to just buy your own stationary than use the stationary cupboard at work)

It was awesome, can’t say much as despite being an estimated 2-3 hour campaign, it took six last night and put on hold till the next gaming session as everyones character in game  has turned into paranoid wrecks. It’s hilarious, and reminds me why I go through the effort of preparing gaming sessions.

Ah, but this is a knitting blog primarily, and so to knitting it is. It’s been a slow week project wise as I was at Centre Parks at the weekend, started my old-new job on Monday and am getting back into the swing of that again, plus shaking off a stinking cold, and prepping for gaming chaos. I’ve also been nose deep reading Eldritch Chrome – think cyberpunk Cthuhlu. So…yeah…

Cat ear project on temporary hiatus as I work out logistics with the remaining mishmash of fluffy wool.

After getting annoyed at not having a bag on me for the shopping, again, (we pay for bags down here now, and I have so many decent shopping bags that I begrudge buying more!) So made myself this:

It’s a little fox purse to attach to my bag and has two little shopping bags inside, so I’ll always have them on me!

It’s a cute fit, right? And also a little thing I threw together out of my own head, so no pattern reference.

Hmm. Wonder if it’s worth writing out and posting as a freebie pattern here…

Anyhow! A little story for the next one.

A long time ago (several years) my mum ‘borrowed’ a pair of my armwarmers, and well, the only way I’m getting those back is if I replace them…

She was bought a number of balls of wool from New Lanark a few years ago which I made a jumper with. And two hats. (And another in sparkly cotton) And there was a bit leftover.

So now it’s arm warmers!

Free Ravelry pattern Camp Out Fingerless Mitts by tante ehm. Super cute and easy!

No wool used up this week (sadly) but I’m just happy I actually finished a few things!

Starting total – 697 balls

Wool used – 68
Wool bought – 9
Wool given – 4

Total – 642

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Tra la la la la…

Life’s been manic the past two weeks – Felix had her second birthday, there was a surprise family visit, Thomas day out, kicking off a new Call of Cthuhlu campaign, and work, work, work…

Like I said, manic.

One of the things that isn’t helping is i’m cramming Christmas knitting in before I visit the family up north this weekend.

I could really do with some extra arms, like this:

That’s a golden oldies from the archives! A Christmas present for Rabbie way back when I was at uni…

Even original text from the time!

“What can I say really? Its a squid knitting little socks for its tentacles for those cold winter seas.

This is the pressie for my sis, she was very happy with it, I think, she spent most of the night pointing out how I had tweaked the pattern to make it more anatomically correct…

She’s a marine biologist, what should I expect?”

Free pattern from Berroco.

Not much more to say really other than I may have accidentally purchased…32 balls of wool…

I have used 11 up since my last post!

Wool Count down:
Starting total – 747 balls
Extra stash found – 20 balls (so far)
Wool used – 89
Wool given – 3
Wool bought – 45

Total – 727

I’m not doing too well anymore with the wool reduction plan…

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Here’s the duck:

And here’s the mushrooms:

Both for Felix of course!

The duck is a free pattern by Mimi Codd, ‘Rubber Duckie Face Cloth‘ and the mushrooms are another free pattern, this time by Leslie Glenn and is aptly called ‘Mushroom‘. I could have knitted dozens of those mushrooms, cute, quick and easy…but three seemed the right number as play food for Felix. And the duck face cloth, thought it would help wash that mucky little face of hers during bathtime!

In other news, the commissions were finished and we all celebrated Felix’s second birthday at Chester Zoo on Saturday (birthday is actually tomorrow, hence the early post – more time to spend with the little terror on the actual day!) It was a great day out – the weather was gorgeous, the animals were making themselves seen, and far too much food and cake was consumed by all.

Hope everyone else had a good weekend!

Wool Count down:
Starting total (28Feb15) – 747 balls
Extra stash found – 20 balls (so far)
Wool used – 78 (2 balls this week! Woot!)
Wool given – 3
Wool bought – 13

Total – 706

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Yesterday was my birthday. Its generally an occasion I celebrate at home, generally pretty small, and usually with very little fuss. My circle of friends however has grown quite a lot, and not the kind of friends you hang around with cause they work with you or whatever and its convenient, proper friends.

And I take my hat off to them. Best birthday ever.

Really!

I mean, seriously, how many people out there would toss aside their usual inhibitions, put on cat ears and tails and play Cathulhu (yep, Cat-thoo-loo) just because they know its what you kinda really want to do but not really want to make them do cause its just a bit mean?

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(That’s what was left this morning, I made more, but they went home with their new owners! No pattern, just winged.)

They even organised one of the others to GM so I could play (I was polydactyl calico cat with a fair bit of 1920’s streetwise attitude and those thumbs of mine could open doors and windows…it was awesome.)

They also spoiled me rotten (not important, but I was worried they were fed up with my GMing Cthuhlu and seeing the pile of Cthuhlu scenarios I got and expansions, not so worried!) and made me an awesome cake!

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Three layers of super yummy chocolate cake, tons of yummy frosting and 90% cocoa on the outside…gorgeous!

Other thing that made my weekend? I got pounced on by Felix in my bed, she was wielding an amazon box and yelled ‘Happy Birthday Mummy! Present! Can eat monkey cake now?’ Sarah Keens Noahs Ark was the present, but that moment in time? Priceless – the girl takes after her mum most definitely!

Only used one ball of wool as, like I mentioned on the post last week, only little projects! Lots of ears and tails!

Wool Count down:
Starting total (28Feb15) – 747 balls
Extra stash found – 20 balls (so far)
Wool used – 66
Wool given – 3
Wool bought – 3

Total – 708

Hope everyone else has had as awesome a few days as I have!

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