More Mittens and a Mint Choc Chip Scarf

I think I'm obsessed with the Corazon mitten from Knitty.com. *LOL* This is my second pair in less than a week.

I had a lovely relaxing afternoon watching the classic film It's a Wonderful Life (with James Stewart and Donna Reed) and knitting the first mitten.

I decided to go with black and cream (instead of black and red) because it will match my new winter coat perfectly. :0) Who knows, I'll probably knit a black and red pair as well, just because I love this pattern so much. ;0)

I'm making the 7.5 inch diameter ladies medium size and it fits me perfectly. I'm using RYC Cashsoft DK (again from stash *polishes halo*) as it's extremely soft and very warm to wear.

The only change I made to the pattern was to use 2 circular needles (Knit Picks classic circulars) instead of DPNs - I just find circs much easier to work with.

Hopefully I can get the second mitten finished tomorrow and I'll have lovely toasty hands on the drive to work. :0)


I finished my mint choc chip scarf yesterday, made with Bright Dyes pure merino 4 ply yarn.


I love how the garter stitch feels (very smooshy!) and the way the stripes knitted up nice and randomly.

I used almost every last bit of yarn and have a scarf that is approx. 5 inches wide by 60 inches long.

I used 3.5mm Knit Picks Options circs.

I was hoping to be able to show you the cute dog coats I made recently but I still haven't sewn the buttons on. (Been too busy knitting mittens!) Hopefully I'll get those done some time next week. :0)

Another Competition Win and Fabulous Fair Isle

Yes, I've won another competition. :0) My luck has been *so* good lately - if only I could win the lottery!

At the beginning of November, I won 2 tickets to the craft show in Cardiff. Then on Monday this little chap arrived in a blue Bergere de France bag. Now, I can *vaguely* remember entering a competition (in Knitting magazine, I think) where I had to give the translation of Bergere and say what 'lamb' was in French. The second prize was a BdeF lamb. I won! YAY!






Now my first BdeF lamby has a friend - so no need for DS and me to fight over him any more. I've now got my own!! ;0) *LOL*

And on the knitting front, I'm obsessed with fair isle at the moment. I never used to like it but recently thought if I can do lace, cables and socks, then I can do fair isle. *LOL*

So here is my first "proper" go at fair isle. There is a second mitten but I forgot to take a photo before I sent it off (it's for a swap). Please excuse if this photo is poor quality - it was taken on my mobile phone.

Anyway, this is the Corazon Mitten from Knitty. I used 3.25mm and 3.5mm Knit Picks circulars - wonderful little things :0) - and RYC Cashsoft DK (from stash - how good am I?!!). These mittens almost didn't get posted - they fit me perfectly - but seeing as how I've got (lots) more Cashsoft in my stash, I've decided I will knit myself a pair in black and red. They are so soft and very warm, just the thing in this weater - it was minus 2 here last night when we went shopping :0( .

I was surprised at how easy this pattern is and I managed to strand the yarn without any puckering of the fabric. Each mitten took 2 days to knit - probably a maximum of 5 hours per day - so hopefully this time next week I'll be wearing my own. :0)

I'll be back tomorrow with some FO pics - dog coats and my mint choc chip scarf ...........

Competition Now Closed

Blimey - you lot are quick! The correct answer was that I was going in the wrong direction on the 3rd triangle - my right hand edge should've been straight but it was way skewiff! I had 6 correct entries so I'm going to ask DS to pick 3 names out of a hat. Hang on a minute while we do this ................................

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And the winners are .......................

Nautical Knitter
Melody
and Ladybird Linz

E-mail me your address at ygymraes@hotmail.com and I'll send you some 4-ply sock yarn and the pattern tomorrow. Try not to make the same mistake as I did though! *LOL*

Competition - Spot the (Deliberate) Mistake

Okay, here's a competition for you.

If anyone can spot the (deliberate) mistake on my mint choc chip multi-directional scarf, I'll send you enough yarn (from my stash - unused) to knit one of your own.

I am sooooo annoyed with myself about this. I've just had to undo everything I've done today. Aaaarrrgghh!!!

Entries close next Sunday - or before if anyone guesses the correct answer. :0)

Everything reminds me of food!

I went to a get together yesterday in Swindon for members of the Crafty Threads 'n' Yarn forum and had a fab day. Some of the members who own shops had taken along some woolly goodies to sell, others who couldn't be there had sent some in the post. While I was there I bought these gorgeous skeins of yarn - unfortunately, all the colours are reminding me of food!


First up is some 100% merino sock yarn from Yarn Addict Anni which reminds me of those Fruit Salad chews I had when I was a kid.

And this is what it looks like wound into a nice cake -






Next is a skein of Bright Dyes pure merino 4ply. In the skein, this reminded me of an autumnal woodland walk. However, now I've started knitting it, it reminds me of mint choc chip icecream!



I'm making a multi-directional scarf on 3.5mm needles and love the way it's striping.

I also bought another skein of Bright Dyes yarn - this gorgeous blue colour - which actually doesn't remind me of anything edible (yet!) but I just love the gorgeous colour.

And again, here it is in a nice little cake -



While I was there, I bought some Yarnimals which are just soooooo cute. :0)

Chicken stitchmarkers because DS (age 5) reckons I'm exactly like Babs from Chicken Run because I knit "all the time, everywhere"! *LOL*

And sheep earrings. Why? It's a Welsh thing! ;0)

I just love the expressions on their faces!






While I was there yesterday, I managed to finish the second November Blues sock for DS. It's made with Sirdar Town and Country sock yarn on 2 x 2.5 mm Addi Turbo circs.

I was so pleased because I managed to line up the stripes without much faffing about at all. :0)














And lastly I want to say a big thanks to Debz for driving yesterday and also for letting everyone have a set of her stitchmarkers *free of charge*.

I had these gorgeous red ones.


Debz - you really must get these on Etsy - now!! *LOL*






And another big thank you to Debz and Lane (her sister) for this gorgeous necklace which they brought back for me from the Hobbycrafts/Stitching show in Cardiff recently.


This is beautiful - just my colours - and I'll be wearing it to work tomorrow.












So a fantastic day was had by all yesterday. Thanks to Granny Smith and everyone who organised the food - it was delicious! Now, when's the next one? ......................... ;0)

AT LAST!

At last!! Royal Mail may be VERY slow - but they deliver eventually! ;0)

Back in September, I joined a dishcloth swap on the Knitting Haven forum. Unfortunately, Royal Mail *lost* the first parcel my pal sent me but she was extremely kind and sent me another parcel (see here).

Well, I came home from work yesterday to find a packet in my post box - yup, you've guessed - Audrey's first parcel has turned up.

And these were the lovely goodies waiting for me inside -

the first is a very pretty blue dishcloth with hearts on

and next is a hand towel, similar to the ones Audrey's aunt used to crochet.

I'm delighted to receive both - thank you so much Audrey. :0) And sorry to put you to the bother of having to send another parcel when RUBBISH Royal Mail couldn't deliver the first on time! *rolls eyes*




In other news, I finished my Sockamania November socks. They took about a week to make. The pattern is really easy to memorise and knits up quickly. I used Fleece Artist Sea Wool sock yarn in the Marine colourway. I knit the first sock using 2 x 2.75 mm Inox Grey circs but by the time I started the second sock, I had bought some Knit Picks classic circs in the same size. WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!!! I've always hated the Inox Greys but they were the only circs I could get in the size I needed. I have to say that the Knit Picks are a pleasure to knit with - much quicker than the Inox Greys, which seemed to hold onto the wool more, somehow. Plus the join was atrocious!

I'm now waiting for more Knit Picks circs to arrive from Get Knitted so I can make a pair of these - I can knit fair isle but I tend to avoid it because I don't really enjoy it, but for these gloves I will make an exception. I love them! And I've got the perfect colours of RYC Cashsoft DK in my stash to make them with. Perfect!

RIP Robbie the Rat

Robbie (the brown rat, in the front on the picture) died on Saturday, 27th October, while we were away on holiday in West Wales. He was about 2 years and 4 months old. It's such a shame that rats don't live for very long - most live to 2 and half or 3 years old - because they are such intelligent and friendly animals. Robbie was really affectionate and loved cuddling up under my hair.

I'd taken him to the vet the day before we left because he hadn't been well - he had breathing problems which the vet thought was maybe a tumour on his lungs secondary to a tumour he had removed in April. He was on antibiotics and Vitamin B and seemed to perk up a bit. He was fine during the car journey and on Friday when we arrived at the cottage but he went downhill quickly on Saturday afternoon. His breathing was laboured and he was very listless.

We were debating whether to ring a local vets in Aberaeron (to have him PTS - never an easy decision) when I went to have another check on him. He passed away peacefully just as I was smoothing him. DS (5) was devastated as it's the first time he's encountered anything dying. Toffee (the rat with the pink eyes) was depressed for the rest of holiday and was looking everywhere for Robbie.
Rats are social animals and are best kept in pairs (or more) of the same sex. Toffee (in the photo to the left, aged about 2) was definitely suffering on his own so we decided to get another rat to keep him company when we got home on the Monday, after burying Robbie in the back garden.

We went to the local pet shop, who had a single 10 week old male rat available for adoption from a litter which had been brought in 2 weeks before. He had been on his own in a cage for about a week and was very skittish. However, he took to Toffee straight away and they've bonded really well. Toffee has perked up no end.

So this is Nibble (named by DS), the newest addition to the family, who is now about 11 weeks old. He's getting easier to handle by the day and is definitely less skittish than when he first arrived.



And yes, I really do have a pair of pyjama bottoms with pink cup cakes on!!





On the knitting front, I managed to make this pair of socks for DS while we were away. The yarn is Opal Prototype which I bought from Ebay a while ago, knit on 2 x 2.5mm Addi Turbo circs. DS (age 5) is a size 10-11 shoe so these were nice and quick to knit up and only took about 36g of yarn, so there's plenty of yarn left over to knit another pair for me. ;0)







Then last Friday, I started these - the Sockamania (see link in RH side panel) November pattern - Ripples. As soon as I had the pattern via e-mail on Friday evening, I cast on. I had the perfect yarn in my stash - Fleece Artist Sea Wool sock yarn in the Marine colourway which I had for my birthday in July.

The pattern is very easy and quick to knit and looks really effective. I'm hoping to finish sock #1 tomorrow. I altered the pattern slightly to knit these toe up - I've been addicted to toe up ever since I knitted Anni's Falling in Love pattern back in February. I haven't made a top-down sock since!