Lamb Chop

Yarn: Something from stash, 50% acrylic 50% nylon (mmmm!) although she does have alpaca eyelashes!
Pattern: Patons (1975!) lent by friend who found it in her Grandmother's pattern collection.

For my nephew - well, sister really.

Springtime Secret Santa

It is Springtime Secret Santa Time at the Angel Yarns knitting forums, and my pressies arrived today!

I collected my parcel from the collections office at the post office, thankfully I managed to get there just before the rush of other people leaving work at 5pm got there (my office is just up the road!) and hurried home to unwrap it.

First there was a big parcel:
Then there were lots of small parcels - and a cute kitty bookmark (someone noticed I got a lot of new books lately!) and some cat treats (they also noticed I have a cat who is very fond of food!)
And then the pressies!!There is Fyberspates cobweb laceweight and Opal sock yarn, both undyed and some colours for me to play with. Also some Zegna Baruffa Extra Fine Merino laceweight yarn which is very soft and such a pretty colour. There's lots of it too, so if I am feeling brave I might attempt one of the larger projects from my Victorian Lace Today book.

The clue was very good too:

1st part:
30 days have September
April, June and November
The 2nd line contains part of my name if you look closely

2nd part:
What is formed when H2O reaches 0°C.

The answer? Janice! Thank you very much indeed for such thoughtful and pretty gifts :)

Stripy Feet!

*Insert zebra noise here*

Yarn: Opal Rainforest I Zebra
Pattern: 64 sts top down, with heel flap
Needles: 2 x 60cm length 2,5mm Addi circulars

There is a lot to be said for small projects done mostly in one stitch...these were so quick to make and required almost no attention at all. Although I did have to cheat a bit and cut the yarn as the black started pooling at the widest part of the gusset. During the gusset decreases the pooling stopped (the foot circumference at that point must be just the same as the colour lengths, because it happened on both socks) and the striping sorted itself out.

And so, on to the next project, which surprisingly is not something that I've been planning for ages, but something from a pattern that only arrived yesterday but is way too cool for school. Or something. Anyway, all will be revealed soon!!

And in the meantime, to get you in the retro mood and for anyone who was a teenager in the 80s...have a ganders at this lot that my MIL donated to my pattern collection. They were published in 1985 and I, for one, would have killed for any of these outfits at the time. Wham-tastic!

Happy Day after Valentine's Day!

This post is slightly later than planned, but I didn't get a chance to upload everything last night because it was Rob's birthday and there was party food to be eaten, beer to be drunk and poker to be played :)

I got a red rose and a hot water bottle in a red velvet cover for Valentine's Day. So romance certainly isn't dead here at Sheephappens Towers.

My Zebra socks are coming along ok. This is the first time that I have used two circs and I think I prefer them to dpns. I bought 2.5mm Addis, one 40cm and one 60cm and then ended up getting another 60cm length as the short one wasn't comfortable to hold. The needle end is really short (85mm) and didn't fit in my hand properly and kept wobbling about in a really irritating way. Here they are so far:

Some recent yarn acquisitions: The February Posh Yarn Lace Club installment has arrived, it is Eva 2ply, (45% cashmere, 55% silk) in Willow (400 yards x 2) I have to say that I'm not sure about the colour or what I am going to make with it that will make it look not too bright. It looks brighter in real life than in the photo, I think the pink tissue paper is making it pale a bit!!

I also bought some 100% Angora (bunny friendly) in Jet which is very soft and snuggly - although now it's arrived I am starting to think getting jet black maybe wasn't sensible. I might have to invest in a daylight bulb!!
And while I've got the camera out, this is the cashmere that I got from Coldsping Mill last week and the Alpaca/Wool Chunky.
I am thinking that the cashmere might become a vest top, as I would really like a slipover to wear at work as the temperature in my office fluctuates throughout the day and layers are the ideal think to wear. I saw just the thing I wanted the other day. Pamela Anderson was wearing one in Stacked (which is a show about a bookshop on the Paramount Comedy channel, if anyone is thinking it is anything dodgy!!) and there are some nice basic designs on knitty and Magknits which could be adapted.

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?

W H Davies

Birthday Week!

Where to start?! I've had so many lovely gifts and messages this week (and a couple of slightly odd things, which should be insignificant compared to all the niceness, but somehow as usual the less than pleasant things seem to stick in your head more than they ought - but this is not the time or place) so thank you all! Thanks too for all the comments for the cabled hoody - too much praise! I am in danger of not being able to get my alpaca hat on my head any more ;)

I got many knitterly presents, with a bit of a book theme going on! and also Jojoland Melody Dust Red Light Brown sock yarn from Bronte (I want to make this into a pair of cable socks, something along the lines of Snicket from Magknits), Hipknits cashmere laceweight from Super Monkey (just perfect for trying out a pattern from my new Victorian Lace Today book) and some Makalu Lambgora in Ocean Swirl from Badger, who also made me a pair of snuggly cabled wristwarmers. I am a lucky cow indeed :)

My birthday day out was a trip to the Bronte Parsonage in Haworth. The parsonage is done out as it would have been in their days, with many personal belongings including Charlotte's dress (tiny waist!) and (tiny!) shoes. It is well worth a visit if you are interested in the family, although I would avoid busy times as the house itself is quite small.

Main Street, Haworth

On the way home, we called it at Coldspring Mill, where I picked up some Elsbeth Lavold Classic AL 50% alpaca / Peruvian wool mix 10x50g for £20 and just over 1kg of cashmere for just under £30, which I intend making myself a vest type top out of. It is a pale green / grey colour and very pretty.

Thankfully we have been very lucky with the weather over the weekend, as we went camping at Buttermere in the Lake District. Friday night saw clear skies and a great opportunity for star gazing...

Orion over treetops

Our thermometer thingie said that the temperature had got down to -4.5°C overnight. Thankfully, we are kitted out with down bags and insulated mats (and thermal pjs) so were quite snug. Saturday morning dawned crisp (quite literally!) and clear...

The day's walk (10.5 miles with 1100m ascent) was from Buttermere, up High Snockrigg (no giggling at the back there) to Robinson, Hindscarth and Dale Head (753m), across to the Honister Slate Mine (for all your slate needs...which were surprisingly few) around below Fleetwith Pike and down to Warnscale Bottom, returning to the campsite along the lake side and back in time for tea (beer and peanuts).

Looking over Rannerdale Knotts & Crummock Water, with Grasmoor looming up on the right