Travelling Woman or should I say Women!

Well I thought it was time that I got down to work and started to tackle the Christmas Knitting List. I had ordered some yarn from Christine at Knits in the City for the Husbeast's next waist coat. I needed a quick knit and I had some lovely Rowan - RC luxury cotton DK in the stash and though of Ry. Ry's favourite colour is green and I had picked up a couple of balls just case it was a pretty green. Why is it the way that as soon as you like a yarn they discontinue it - Rowan does it all the time!

So I had several shawl patterns thanks to my trolling on Ravelry and was planning to do the next Beginners Lace Knitters KAL next time it started. The KAL voted for September and what do you know it is a Travelling Woman. I had this pattern in my library so I thought it is a good as time as any to start on. I know it was a little early for September but the Beginners Lace Knitters group is pretty flexible about when and how you do things which I like. After casting on last week I go into work and find out that Kate is leaving next week to head off to teaching college. So since it was a quick knit so far I pulled out the stash bag again and found that I had two balls of Artist Palette Butterly. This DK is perfect for a quick knit shawlette for Katie as she goes off to start her new life as trainee teacher.

So at stitch and bitch on Tuesday night I cast on the second Travelling Woman. Perfect time as the initial part of the shawl is straight stockinette. I thought this was a good idea since I would not be able to do a chart and in theory I would be just knitting while chatting. After a couple of attempts and rips I got the shawl cast on. Wednesday night I had completed Chart A repeats and Thursday all done, time to cast off. I think with Ry's I am going to do a couple of extra repeats of Chart A and this will make it slightly longer shawl which is necessary since the girl is so long.

So I think officially I now have the lace bug which is handy as I have been stumbling round trying to find ideas for the Christmas list. Looks like a couple of lace shawls will be flying off the needs at high speed.

Playing in the Dye Pot

With the end of the school holidays and the start of the academic year I felt that I need to do some dyeing. After being in total withdrawl I had a wonderful morning on Sunday playing in the dye pot while daughter was asleep and the boys were out at Football. So I have some finished products to show off. There is some that we will not be talking to a little black cat about - she who never plays with yarn unless it is on the drying rack.

Dyeing wise I forced myself to do some Autumn colours since it was the start of the Autumn term. There are some trees which are starting to turn yellow and orange and I think we could be into colourful autumn display thanks to the recent early cold snap. I also worked on some greens for the daughter. I am thinking about knitting her a Christmas sweater . Think is the key word in that sentence as she is like her father and is very long in the body.

Family Wedding

Well we have been away with a family wedding where I got some knitting in. Sometimes I have to have needles so I wont kill anyone. There were a couple of moments of tension during our family reunion and this has led me to knitting more like the clappers.

I managed to start and finish a BSJ during the weekend and I had also started with a baby blanket since I was so behind with the Great Aunt knitting thanks to the recent Swine Flu debacle. I ended up frogging the blanket when we got back. I had got half way through the blanket and I just did not like it all. I had done the pattern before and it was beautiful but I just did not like in the Cashmerino.

The wedding was lovely and the bride and groom had a lovely happy day.

Oink Oink fall out.

Unfortunately thanks to some students turning up to graduation while they were sick and contagious with Swine Flu and so I went down with the darn bug. Initially I thought it supposed to be a mild flu and I am not feeling that bad. So therefore I will get some knitting done and then it hit with the full dose. It hit, kicked, whacked and threw me a heck of a curve ball. After sleeping for almost ten days and feeling like I had just done ten rounds with Mike Tyson or a road train or both. I have not made a stitch of knitting for a whole two weeks. Shock horror I have not picked up a set of needles for a whole two weeks.

For the last week I have tried to pick up needles but the mojo is gone and I keep going back and making my Rip Van Winkle impersonation. I pick up the needles do some work but since I have been so dopy and ditzy I have made huge mistakes that can not be tinked but have to be ripped back. I have ripped back so often now that I just have not got any enthusiasm. I actually think I have ripped that far back that I am now ever further behind. I have had a couple of finishing jobs to do and I hoped that will re start my knitting bug but this has not seemed to work at all. I am still trying to find my lost knitting mojo.

I also think that Summer has something to do with it but I want my mojo back. I want to get my projects finished and I am so sick of the Unfinished Objects that are cluttering my work bags.