Photos will come eventually. Probably once the mountain of paperwork and washing has gone down a bit........
For the first time I actually knitted by the pool. Only after lunch and under an umbrella whilst lying on the sunbed. It caused quite a bit of interest as you can imagine and I almost finished it before I went, just finishing the toe when once we were back. The colourway is Happy Valley which is such a pretty summery colour and will always remind me of Kefalonia. Pic will follow next post.
The animals were all pleased to see us back, especially Thunder who has been running round excitedly for days now. Bless ;)
This is what I got for my birthday the day before we left....... yes more Socks That Rock and the yarn to make the Blue Sky Alpaca Crochet Trimmed Hoodie pattern that I bought a little while back. It's in the most luxurious alpaca/wool yarn and in the palest pink ever. Hmm, can't wait till I can start that one. A fabulous new black Lumix camera which I am just in love with. Of course I've actually been using it for the past month or so, just to test it out of course, but had to give it back to DH so he could wrap it up. A knitted wire bracelet kit from TajCrafts that I really wanted to try. And a lovely Dr Hausckha gift set. Not bad eh he he? I also got a few holiday clothes too and some money which I used for some pretty M&S undie sets and also to renew my Rowan membership.
Here's a close up of my latest STR babies - 1 skein in Rhodonite and 1 in Chapman Springs. They're both absolutely gorgeous but Chapman Springs is really to die for. The colours are so vibrant which of course never shows onscreen.We did end up going out for an Indian at our favourite restaurant and I'm glad we did. And finished off my birthday by watching Happy Feet on DVD! Boy I loved that film, it was excellent. I wasn't stressed in the evening as I'd done pretty much everything I needed and DH was also nice and helpful too.
The STR April Sock Club Kit arrived a few days before my birthday.... and I just love it. The new Silkie yarn is so tactile, you can just sit and stoke it for ages........of course it will be a little while before I get to start the sock what with holidays and the fact I haven't finished my Monsoon sock yet. Hope to get back working on that again soon.
Remember all that finishing I was doing before we went away. Well finally I got round to finishing my Fletcher coat in Noro Iro and it is beautiful. Of course it is totally the wrong time of year for a jacket or coat but who cares, she will be ready and waiting for me come autumn. The sense of accompliment once she was totally finished was truly amazing. This was some serious project!
Also finished is Soleil in Rowan Summer Tweed and I can't tell you how pleased I was with this top, especially the edging which I replaced as I wasn't keen on the original. Summer tops are usually very hit and miss and I'm rarely ecstatic over them. Maybe because the fit and shape of tiny summer tops are much more crucial, or maybe because knitting yarns are much thicker than the little stretchy vest type tops I wear. Whatever the reason, they're never in the same league as the wraps, shrugs, cardis etc. that I make. But not this one, this one is beautiful and something I would definitely wear out. It's a fabulous design and if anyone was thinking about making it, I'd definitely recommend it.
I tried to show a close up of the crochet border but it isn't that clear. If I remember I'll take a macro shot. The crochet edging is from Crochet Edgings & Trims by Susan Smith that I bought sight unseen from Amazon. A bit of a gamble but luckily it paid off as this edging has worked out brilliantly. It also boosted my crochet confidence too. Which is well needed for when I attempt the Crochet Edged Hoodie......I've decided to have a yarn stash clear up and sell any yarns that I've had a while and still have no plans to use. Mostly from the days before I realised how often yarns are discontinued and sold off cheaply. Nowadays I'm a lot fussier on what sale yarns I buy. Which means I should have more room for my ever increasing STR sock yarn stash ;)
My last post was full of things that had gone wrong and it was quite a stressful time. Our holiday of course was totally relaxing and enjoyable, so you can imagine why I hit the roof the the evening we came home when I discovered my car insurance had expired 3 weeks before!!! A horrendous mistake which shouldn't have happened. I only rang up to ask for the 10% discount I was due to be applied to the renewal, so how that ended up with me having no insurance I have just no idea. A 2 page complaint letter is currently being drafted. Just what you don't need..... of course I'm now insured again but still amazing such a mistake can happen. Luckily I have my lovely knitting to keep me calm :-)
Oops - somehow Blogger's default setting was at 'no comments'. Thanks Chris for letting me know - all fixed now!
