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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

It’s been a very long and busy week. Despite the heat it’s also been very productive. The roof is all fixed now, my nest egg is but a few pieces of shell, (just in case, commission’s are open!) I got all the fences painted, both gardens weeded, fruit harvested and a whole load of cleaning, tidying and sorting!

Thankfully the majority was done at the start of the week as it’s been getting hotter and hotter as it’s progressed. But I was planning on physically resting anyway as my new job starts tomorrow.

The nerves have well and truly hit me, but there’s still excitement! Keep your fingers crossed for me!

On to the knitting content!

Its approaching the end of the school year here, and as such I’m knitting a few small gifts for the teachers and teaching assistants. One of the TAs in Felix’s class also runs Welsh club, which Felix has really enjoyed going to, and as such, Felix felt she deserved a special knit – a little red dragon! Or should I say ‘draig goch fach’?

(Ok, I have a friend he speaks Welsh, and I asked her as I know zero Welsh)

Anyhow, the pattern is Dragons 9051 by King Cole Ltd – I added front legs, ears and the little spikes down his back though to make it more like the Welsh dragon.

Anyhow, I’m exhausted and dying of the heat, hopefully I’ll have a post for you all next week but with it being the first week at not just a new job, but of a career change, I make no promises!

Wool Count

Starting total – 897

Wool used – 98 (1 this week)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given to me – 29 (Andrew picked me up 8 balls of cotton for the Christmas projects I’m plotting)
Wool gifted to others – 1
Wool handspun – 9

Total – 876 (Up 7, sigh, still more out than in though!)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

As you’ve already probably guessed by the title, I’m still working through the miles of blue cabled vests, and still knitting  ‘Kawaii Kittens’ by Louise Walker from the book ‘Mollie Makes Knitting’ as little breaks from the endless blue.

This one is different in that I didn’t follow the pattern exactly as written in the book as there isn’t a sushi cat pattern, so I changed the colours and pattern, and added a little prawn/shrimp on top to create…

I couldn’t resist going to get some sushi and soupy noodles as an excuse to get some cute photos! Here’s another, next to some shrimp nigiri, to show you the tail of the prawn/shrimp!

As well as getting sushi, it’s been an eventful week. There was some working from home to tie off all the loose ends of my job before I am fully done and start the next one. The kids are fast approaching the end of the school year so there’s a lot to do and organise with that. My roof sprung a leak which had to get fixed asap, with more work to be done when we can arrange the time and money for it. As well as this, my mum managed to finally visit us, and it’s been near two years since she last set foot in my house. Chaos and good times had by all, but I am thoroughly exhausted!

Which is why this is a day later than usual – feel better for getting some sleep and serious knitting time in, but more sleep and knitting is needed to recharge the batteries I think! Maybe some spinning too…

Wool Count

Starting total – 897

Wool used – 97 (7 this week)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given to me – 21
Wool gifted to others – 1
Wool handspun – 9

Total – 869 (no net change)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

Still working through miles of blue vests, so this week’s quick knit break was:

I’m definitely enjoying these cute knits far more than the vests, but alternating between is definitely helping knitting project burn out! The pattern for the Ice Cream Cat, like the Burger Cat, is a set of three cushion patterns called ‘Kawaii Kittens’ by Louise Walked from the book ‘Mollie Makes Knitting’. Popcorn cat is the remaining cat from the set, but I have plans to tweak the pattern to make other cute food variations…

Aside from the knitting, the rest of the time has been spent sorting out all my craft things (including ripping out a pile of old knitted projects in various states of completion which I had thrown into a naughty corner and forgotten about) and moving everything into the conservatory, sorting Engels things into piles for him to go through proper, and yesterday was a mammoth painting session – all the walls and ceiling are now painted, multiple coats required, especially on the ceiling, which is blue and now awaiting me to get the energy to paint some clouds on it.

Look forward to that, just waiting for the pain in my neck and shoulders to ease…

Hope you’ve all had a good week, and until next post, stay safe!

Wool Count

Starting total – 897

Wool used – 89 (1 this week)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given to me – 21
Wool gifted to others – 1
Wool handspun – 8

Total – 876

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

It has been quite a week this week. The conservatory now has a proper roof on it, meaning I had to gut it out, put everything that was in there into the living room, and measure the space and look at proper furniture…plus builders and plasterers and work and kids and something of a normal routine…

It’s been interesting. I have also had to admit that I have maybe, just a teensy bit, too much wool. Only because of the wool avalanche that occurred when moving it all. And the fact that when trying to box it up in what I thought was enough boxes…I sound up having to create a ‘naughty corner’ for packs of wool that I just ran out of space with.

But mostly the avalanche.

Aside from all that crazy, I handed my notice in this week and will be starting a new job in engineering (I am aware that as a microbiologist currently working as a radiochemist, that this is quite a jump, even for me) so if there’s radio silence for a few weeks round about then, you know why.

But enough about me, everyone is here to see knitting! I’m still plodding on with the three matching blue cabled vests, and will be for a good bit longer, but looking at miles of blue wool, and working with miles of blue wool, is kind of boring after a while. So I took a one day break and knitted:

Burger Cat! He’s actually a set of three cushion patterns called ‘Kawaii Kittens’ by Louise Walked from the book ‘Mollie Makes Knitting’. Along with a burger cat, there is a popcorn and ice cream cat. I think once I have knitted the others, I will tweak the colours and make a sushi cat. Or maybe a tako-yaki cat.

So many ideas!

But back to blue knitting for now.

So until next week, keep safe!

Wool Count

Starting total – 897

Wool used – 88 (7 this week)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given to me – 21
Wool gifted to others – 1
Wool handspun – 8

Total – 877 

Bonus cute: Outbreak has decided that burger cat is hers:

Its mine mummy, mine!
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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

Now, I will admit that I love magic. The kind that leaves you pondering just how they managed to do that, was it an illusion? A slip of the hand? Mind control? My brother in law does a lot of magic, and I personally think he’s amazing at it. Both the terrors are convinced that he’s a wizard, and he wears that title with pride.

So when he asked me to knit a teeny tiny bear, no taller than 6cm, in burgundy, well, how could I refuse?

And here he is, safely up in Scotland nestled amongst a variety of magic tricks! I knit him following the pattern Teddy Bear by Sarah Keen from her book 100 Little Knitted Projects.

I cannot wait to see him in a magic show! Will he disappear? Reappear? Transform?!

In other knitting news, I finished the huge hand spun project I’ve been working on. It’s been blocked and is ready for a photoshoot, the only problem is that when I came up with the concept, I had a certain type of location in mind to photograph it…but with lockdown/ covid/ the plague…well, I can’t get there. Even something remotely similar…

Guess we’ll have to wait and see how that pans out…

In regards to the rest of life, I finished off the current Cthulhu campaign and if it wasn’t for the fact I let players spend their luck to fudge their dice rolls…well…they all died. Repeatedly. In various fashions. But with barely any to spare they did manage to limp home victorious!

Its been a hard week this week with all our routines being out of sorts, and not having Crumble to give me my evening cuddles and bedtime snuggles… But we’re getting there, wherever there is.

Just need to keep putting one foot in front of the other and take life one day at a time I think!

So until next week, stay safe!

Wool Count

Starting total – 897

Wool used – 24 (3 this week)
Wool bought – 0
Wool given to me – 0
Wool gifted to others – 1
Wool handspun – 7

Total – 879

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

Well, I finished one of my big projects, or three you could argue…

It’s a bit of a joke, but my sister, her husband and I have formed a Nerf Team called ‘Nerfys Law’ (it’s a pun on Murphy’s Law, which just about sums up our luck at nerfing!)

There’s also an awesome TV show called Milo Murphys Law, and in it the main character Milo wears a striped sweater vest. So I doubled down on the geekery and made us all matching sweater vests in Nerf colours…

I’ve made one male vest following the free pattern Peter Easy by Berroco Design Team, except in the round to save on sewing, and two female vests following the free pattern Prudence Easy by Berroco Design Team, again in the round.

I love them, they are obnoxiously bright, but surprisingly warm and cosy and i’m hoping my sis and brother in law like them too!

In non knitting news, I’m just back from a sneaky girls trip to Disneyland Paris – no kids, no husband, just lots of fun and chaos. I had a ball, but I missed my terrors so badly, so pleased to be home with them. Also, as much fun as I was having, it was unnerving watching the park slowly go into lock down over Covid-19. We all left at the right time, but I know of a number of people who just arrived as we left who are in an awkward situation as the parks are now closed for the foreseeable future…

Last but not least: wool count is unchanged, haven’t done much knitting this week but haven’t bought any more wool either!

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 3 Comments

Literally.

I’ve been knitting balls this week.

inkling has been wanting to join in with our little Nerf wars in the house, only he can’t prime a standard blaster, and the flywheel ones are too heavy for him to carry and aim at the same time. A solution has been found, in the form of a “Little Tikes blaster”.

Inkling adores it. He can load it, shoot it, and run around all at the same time. Only issue is that it came with just three balls for ammo, and that lasts all of four seconds.

So I have been knitting balls. Bright, multicoloured, balls.

And a Nerf bag for them to go in, that match his blaster, so he can join in with the rest of us when dart sweeping.

The pattern used for the balls is a free one called ‘Oh Balls!‘ by Marcie Nishioka. It’s a great pattern for using up little scraps, or in my case, wool that’s so bright and obnoxious I’m not too sure what to make with it!

Not much else to say really for this week – it’s been busy, like really busy, but not a lot to talk about it…oh! I got to play my new game, Llamas unleashed, and am now resisting the urge to knit an army of llamas, alpacas, goats and rams to match all the different artwork! So cute! Fun to play too…

Wool Count

Starting total – 704

Wool used – 17 (2 this week!)
Wool bought – 0
Wool given – 0
Wool gifted – 0

Total – 687

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

Just like the title says – it’s Bad News Badger. He’s made roughly following the free pattern Rabbit and Bear by April Cromwell and is a companion piece to The Angry Badger I knit a while ago.

I had far too much fun with this guy – especially making his little tiny newspaper! He’s small enough he can sit in the palm of my hand…

In other knitting news, still working on those two big projects, interspersed with a few small ones as I’ll go insane otherwise…

Just a short one today, it’s been pretty manic as of late! Oh, except to say that after knitting the Ryder hat for Inkling, he has decided that his traffic one is the bestest hat and is now wearing that…sigh….

Wool Count

Starting total – 704

Wool used – 9 (2 this week!)
Wool bought – 0
Wool given – 0
Wool gifted – 0

Total – 695

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

First things first: Happy Chinese New Year everyone!

On to the knitting:

In my quest to get Inkling to wear a hat for more than 8 seconds (his car hat I knit him to match his jumper lasted 8 seconds, previous record was 6) I have resorted to my TV nemesis, Paw Patrol.

After a lengthy discussion with a 2.5 year old over his favourite character (Zuma and Chase, he won’t have one, it’s not fair) his favourite colour (blue and green, maybe orange) I have up and watched several episodes with him whilst knitting in a sulk.

Then I saw it.

Ryder (the boy who looks after all the pups) wears a red and blue knitted beanie in the winter/cold weather episodes. That there, was the solution to my problem!

I followed the Basic Family Hat by Yarnspirations Design Studio (free pattern) changing the colours to match and added the Paw Patrol logo on free hand at the end.

He wore it for thirty five minutes! Paw Patrol came to the rescue!

In a few years I will look back on this and laugh…I hope…

Have a good weekend everyone!

Wool Count

Starting total – 704

Wool used – 7 (none this week sadly)
Wool bought – 0
Wool given – 0
Wool gifted – 0

Total – 697 

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting, Little one, Updates 2 Comments

Happy new year everyone! May it be happier and healthier than last year!

Since my last post, I finished up three projects – a snake hat for Felix, a cosie for the in-laws and a teeny tiny knitted jumper, as I keep getting asked by someone to make them a jumper and, no, just no.

The tea cosie is based on the free pattern Mug and French Press Jacket by MK Carroll, as you can see in the photo, it’s a glass teapot with a very, very short spout and I figured having the bottom covered was better than the top!

The jumper is made following the free pattern Mini Sweater Ornament with Cables by Emily5446 – very cute, very well written pattern and I have a jumper that’s about 4 cm tall!

As for 2020, I have finished my first project just yesterday! Maleficent!

This pattern is based on Dragons by King Cole Ltd – though I had to tweak it a fair bit and add a lot of extra details to turn it into Maleficent! The reason for this is that every year I knit a Christmas decoration, and for 2019 I planned to knit a Mickey mouse head to mark our first proper family holiday to Disneyland Paris!

Except Felix told me no, I had to knit Maleficent. I argued that I wouldn’t get all the detail into an ornament, to which I was told not to make an ornament, but a dragon big enough to sit on top of the tree!

Engels oh so helpful in put to this was ”if you knit an even bigger one it could sit under the tree and guard the presents!”

So Maleficent it was, and at a hefty 60cm long she’ll either be taking the whole top of the tree, or hoarding the presents beneath – we’ll have to wait till next year to find out!

Till next week!

Wool Count

Starting total – 704

Wool used – 2
Wool bought – 0
Wool given – 0
Wool gifted – 0

Total – 702

I feel I had best explain why my wool count has gotten so much bigger – I was given quite a few balls for Christmas (Inkling gave me two yellow balls and informed me that one was a digger and the other a bulldozer, hmm, I suspect he’s learning from Felix) and I ripped out a few old finished projects that weren’t being used, so that wool has gone back into the wool stash. I also bought four balls of bright orange in order to make a project I have planned! This year, I really do hope to finish with 600 or less!

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