Traveling Light

Quick post mainly to give you a shot of my Traveling Sweater. This is THE BMFA Traveling Sweater, I'm using the yarn in the pattern - Woobu. My colour choice - Chestnutty



I started this on Tuesday night past. This is the frist wedge of which there are 8 in total of this crescent shaped part. Mind you each wedge consists of 4 repeated smaller wedges. It is good mindless TV knitting.

I have also cast on Susuan Pandorf's Dwarrodelf, part of her FOTR (Fellowship of the ring) collection. I am using Fyberspates sparkle sock in plum


This one is for my SIL.

Halfway Up The Stairs

For some strange reason (and I know not what goes through a cat brain) the past few evenings Pepper has retired to the curve in the stairs and proceeded to miaow at me from there. I haven't figured out whether she thinks it is time for bed or just attention but it does make for a cute photo.






On the knitting side of things I've finished my second Les Abeilles. Just have the tails to darn in then block it. I'll get it blocked out over the weekend but here is the pre-blocking shot. Lovely colours in this


I have another of these to do for my other niece but as the colours are similar I'm giving myself a rest from this shawl and have cast on for the BMFA travelling sweater in Woobu colour Chestnutty. No photos yet as it is just started but I'll sort that out soon. It is easy, mindless knitting and the yarn is lovely to work with.

Buzzzzzzin

At long last some knitting to blog about. Not that there hasn't been plenty of knitting going on it is just that between dealing with all the sorting and moving there has been no photography going on. So over the past few weeks the camera has made it out and photos have been taken.

The Buzzzz is all about the 1st project I cast on and completed in my new house. This is Anne Hanson's Les Abeilles. It has taken me less than 2 weeks, I used yarn from stash - Posh Yarns Eva in colour Peach Melba. I knit the petite size and used just over 2 skeins. You can see the beauty shot below on a sunny afternoon in my new back garden. Well actually looking from the garden back to the house.





I am hoping my older sister likes this colour as I'd like to gift it to her. I have already cast on my second of these shawls, this one is intended for my niece Sarah, again using Posh Yarn, this time Miranda 4ply in colour Daddy's Home


I'm well into the first pattern repeat and it is zooming along. For more deatils on these 2 projects you can find me as Amberpearl on Ravelry

A New Start

Yesterday (20th August) was the 1st Anniversary of my DH's death. I thought it would be a bad day but not so as it turned out. With the date looming a while back I decided to get my act into gear and get on with moving house. I have got a lot done to the house before moving in but all the work I had planned to get done before moving in was finished mid July and I relaised I was dithering. I so did not want to be in the old house come 20th August. So I made a decision and got myself moved in the space of 2 weeks. It was very busy as there was a lot to do to make it happen but I concentrated on getting my furniture moved and the essentials. Most of my kitchen stuff and clothes were already moved as I had been bringing things over in dribs and drabs over the intervening months.

I had good friends who helped me out the day before and day of the move, along with the removal men of course, who were great. I moved in on 12th August and am feeling reasonably settled. Most of the boxes I brought with me are emptied but there is still a lot of stuff at the old house to sort and more will come here, but only what I want. I don't intend to end up as cluttered as I was before. Of course all my yarn moved several weeks before I moved so that was a sign it was going to happen.

My 14 year old cat Pepper has been great and is fairly well settled now. She has explored all her new territory, including the garden. I was worried she would not take the move well but she has familiar scents around her and of course the food lady is still here - what more could a cat ask for.

My SIL and her husband are over for a week, staying with her mother, and the 2 of them and my BF came to dinner on Thursday night. They have brought their car over from England to take some things of Shane's back with them. We have arranged to go to the old house on Monday and they will load their car up. Apart from that I will have a full house tomorrow, my BF, her husband, Shane's BF and his wife along with SIL, her husband and my MIL are all coming for a mid afternoon meal. I have just made a huge pot of Bolognese sauce so it will only need heated, spaghetti cooked, some garlic bread warmed and a salad tossed - easy peasy - for 8 people. I haven't entertained like this in a very long time.

And the knitting? Yes there has been some. Although I have plenty WIPs I decided I would like to start something new in my new house, something simple, easy knitting. So I cast on Les Abeilles in some Posh Eva from stash. No photos taken yet. When SIL has gone back next week I'm going to get the camera out and get some photos of WIPs etc. and I fully intend to be back here more regularly now.

Off to get my evening meal sorted, then sit down with Les Abeilles for a bit of R&R. Hope all of you are keeping well out there in blogland. Back soon

A Toast

To my love (he's on the left)

It has been a long time. I looked at my last entry and realised how long ago I put anything here. I thought I was ready to put myself out there again, but it seems I wasn't. I don't think I'm ready yet but I couldn't let today go without something, a memory.

Today was my DHs birthday and it is hard not to miss him a lot today. Indeed for the last week or so this day has been much on my mind. What would I feel like and how to get through it. I'm remembering other birthdays and how we celebrated them, although he kept trying to forget them as the years went on we always did something.

Tonight I will have a good stiff scotch going to bed to help me sleep and to send him a birthday toast. So if any of you out there are reading this raise your glasses to your loved ones past and present.

As The Road Goes Ever On too

I'm participating in the Evenstar Mystery Shawl KAL. This is the first in a series of LOTR patterns being designed by A Few Stitches Short. I bought some beautiful silk laceweight in December from Hedgehog Fibres in a colour called Copper Penny, I must be psychic. I had no plans for this when I bought it and less than a month later the perfect project came along.

I know the Evenstar is silver but I'm more a gold/copper person so this seemed just perfect to me. The photo doesn't do it justice, I was all set to photograph it in a nice sunny interlude when the phone rang and I eneded up have a long chat with a friend. By the time I got back to it the afternoon had turned dull and dark. This was taken sitting on my dining room windowsill. There are hints of silver and that lovely pinky copper along with gold all shot through it. I only hope my kniiting of the shawl will do both the pattern and the yarn justice.

I heading off to Kitchner the toe of my second Tesserae sock for a friend. I'll take photos in daylight tomorrow and post them sometime soon. I'll get back to working on some WIPs, not starting anything new with the imminent release of the Evenstar pattern.

I frogged a silk laceweight shrug, the yarn was just not meant for the pattern, beautiful yarn, beautiful pattern just not meant to be together. I also have it in mind to frog at least one hibernating WIP, but more on that another time.

All things being well I'll be moving house in the spring. I had my offer accepted, now just have to go through all the hoops to get the process completed.

Life goes ever on

And so it does, even in the face of tragedy, both personal and public. My own personal tragedy is still with me but the recent tragedy in Haiti cannot be visualised by those of us who haven't ever seen events on smaller scales.

That doesn't stop us feeling helpless, but we aren't. We can at least donate, this will help all those who can actively help these people. I've put up a button over there on the right, see it, linking to the Yarn Harlots page which will tell you how to donate. MSF is worthwhile so please give.

Also have a look at A Few Stitches Short recent post, if you don't want to just donate then make buying a pattern count