Feeling hot, hot, hot

Well the weather is luverly, absolutely bootiful!!I can spell properly but this weather is worth a bit of poetic licence. I was up at 6 today, and as it was so lovely, I put on my trainers and went for a walk for half an hour. That's 3 reasonable (half hour minimum) walks that I have done this week, plus one rosemary connelly (torture) dvd, so hopefully I will start to lose weight. Eating is ok at times, but no really bad days, but we have been invited out for dinner tomorrow night, so I am guessing that will be deliciously not slimming.

Not been knitting anything apart from cotton dishcloths, and that's only because you don't need to concentrate on them. Also started a crochet blanket in the granny stripe, just because I can. I love the different colours. I have done the first few rows in different shades of blue, then going into lilacs and purples, so it should look interesting. I don't need a blanket, but its a good way of using up odds and ends, so why did I go into local store and buy 4 more balls just because they were reduced to £1?Is there any hope for me, I ask myself?

I am now a hooker

No, no, no, don't take the title the wrong way. I have now managed to learn how to crochet granny square stripes. I looked on Attic 24 blog and followed her tutorial and voila!!I have made this little dolls cot blanket for my lovely grandaughter. I know she won't appreciate the work involved, but the colours are pretty. I had some Rowan handknit cotton, so I thought I would use it, to make this. It is very addictive, I started it yesterday, and have sat and done it whenever I have had 5 minutes.

The only knitting that I have done, is knitted dishcloths. I know it's the sort of thing that old ladies do - but hey I am 42 and a grandma!!They are easy enough to knit, and brilliant to use. I have got a long sleeveless cardigan that I have started knitting, but I don't feel like knitting anything big.

Must go, got 5 mins so need to finish the crochet blanket. Happy hooking/knitting

Being Crafty

Now I am not talking about the pair of reef flip flops that I managed to acquire on Thursday when I went down to knitting group. I felt a pang of guilt (ok maybe I didn't!) These flip flops are so lovely, and my last pair last 2 whole summers so I am trying to justify them.

I am talking about these two projects. I decided to have a break from knitting (well, for a day) and try some other things. Above is a knitting loom. I bought it over a year ago, and decided to have a go last night with it. The idea is to make a bag with Noro Blossom (lovely, expensive but I bought it on offer). When it is finished I will felt it in the washing maching, and then I may use my weaving sticks (another to do project) and make handles for it. I will have to see how it turns out. This is a bit like knitting nancy dolls that some of us had years ago. But that was making endless cords which I never remember doing anything with, but hey it was educational. Don't know how much I would actually use the loom, but I thought I could start it and maybe encourage one of my daughters to have a go??Number one daughter if you are reading this, take note!!



Then there is this crochet. I am doing a granny square, I found good instructions on youtube. I am using up all the odds and ends of sock yarn that I have. This was started in socks that rock yarn, that was left over from socks, obviously. There wasn't enough to knit more socks, so I decided a granny square/blanket would be good. I love the colours in this range of yarn. You can only buy it from Blue Moon Fiber Arts (american site) and it is so lovely. I have decided to just do this blanket in left over bits. I have 2 or 3 skeins left, so next time I knit some socks at least I know the leftovers can make this blanket grow.

Well must go, kids are stirring so we are off for a swim in mums pool. Happy knitting.

Finished another project

I have finally finished my cardigan. I love it. But I don't love the way that I look in it, e.g. wide!!Methinks, work harder at the excercise and less eating. I made my daughter take about 6 photos as I was almost as wide as the lense. This cardigan took me exactly 2 weeks to the day to finish. I am so pleased. It's quite warm, despite being a cotton yarn. Rowan purelife DK. I have loads left, well about 600g so I think I may even knit something else in this. Now the dilemma, which project should I now finish, as I have no new plans in the pipeline. Off to eat fruit, and think about rosemary connelly (torture) dvd for tomorrow!!

Lovely day, and a surprise

Today was the last chance of a lie in, as it's the last day of half term. So did I have a lovely lie - in??No, I woke up and the sun was streaming in the window, so I couldn't waste the daylight, and all that knitting time. I took the two boys to the park today. I met daughter number one, and my grandaughter, and we had a lovely hour in the park. It was so warm, and that was at 9.15 this morning. I sat and did some knitting, whilst the boys went on the swings etc and the youngest ran through the water squirters that they have at the park, so it was a nice time.

I can see the end in sight of knitting this cardi. I reckon by next week it will be finished, and be the quickest ever project. My grandaughter is getting dedicated next week, so hopefully it will be finished by then.

Today we had a courier turn up at the house and inside was a lovely surprise......

Two weeks ago, we had magnum ice lollies for pudding. On the box it said a chance to win a Sony Vaio laptop. So everyone (apart from me) had a magnum. I kept all the sticks and thought, well, why not give it a go. Next morning I woke early, and decided to go on the computer. I saw the lolly sticks and thought I would enter the code on one of the sticks and see what happened. The first stick I entered the code in and blow me, they said I had won. I couldn't believe it, but I was emailed a prize claim code. Went in and entered it, and I had to wait 28 days for my laptop. I still couldn't sort of believe it, so I rang them, and they said if it's not turned up in 28 days, phone again. Well you guessed it, today it turned up. It is lovely, so small though, a netbook I think they call it. Not sure if I will keep it though. It's worth some money, so we have some plans in the pipeline, so maybe use the money for that. Will know more by the end of June, so watch this space.

The other thought was I could sell it, and put it in a fund for a mini cooper. I would so love to have one. Very impractical with 5 kids, but it could be for just me - or is that really selfish??Don't answer that - I know the answer.

So if ever you think does anyone ever win those competitions - the answer is yes, someone somewhere does. I have won 2 big prizes now. I enter the mini competitions too, but somehow don't think I will win one of them. Happy knitting to you all. I'm off to look on ebay how much laptops are going for.

Having cake and not eating it!!

Yesterday was a beautiful day, so we were at my mums. We had a bbq and the kids had a swim in the pool too, very cold, but they don't care.

When we go to my mums, it's lovely. She usually buys some lovely cakes for pudding, and they are usually ones that I love too. Yum Yums. Now if you haven't had these cakes, you haven't lived. They are so moreish. I have been known to eat 4. I know 4 - what a pig. I also couldn't eat anything else for the day as I was so full. It was very greedy and I am sure that my body had such a huge sugar rush, that I was buzzing for the rest of the day.

Yesterday we had a bbq, which was lovely. I took some meat too. We had beefburgers, sausages and lamb kebabs. Mum had made homemade potato salad, which has smoked sausage, onions, gherkins and potatoes, and it's lovely. Also there were new potatoes with garlic butter on them, and salad. It was all so nice. I was quite restrained and ate until I felt full, but not uncomfortable. Then the cakes came out. Oooohhh it was so tempting. There were cream eclairs, cream coffee choux pastry buns, jam and cream donuts and normal jam donuts. And there were yum yums. I had been helping my dad with the dishes, so by the time I got outside 3 out of the 4 were gone, and my daughter was just taking the final one out of the box. I could feel my resolve melting as she picked it up and put it to her mouth. My brother was there too, and I asked if he had ever eaten one, he hadn't so my daugher broke off a bit for him. He too, got that manic glint in his eye. Well there was another box on the table unopened. My mum said, "Go on Sal, help yourself" (She is such an enabler) I picked up the packet, by then my mouth was salivating, and I could just imagine biting into the glazed icing then into the fried donut. Bet you know what happened next. No??Well I just licked the outside of the packet and gave them to my mum and told her to put them away from me, where I couldn't find them. Even I was impressed. I feel so pleased with myself.

I have been trying not to eat rubbish, and even one of my boys noticed tonight at tea time. They all had a mars ice cream for pudding, and I said I don't want them. He said, aren't you eating cakes or something, coz you said no yesterday as well. So somebody has noticed. I just hope my waistline will notice too, and start shrinking.

Knitting, still on the same thing (obviously). One more row and I am dividing for the fronts so half way mark. Hope to finish it by the end of next week. Can't go to knitting group on Thursday. My washing machine is broken, so repair man coming. Hole in flat roof above one of the bedrooms, so builder is coming. Friend coming for coffee too, so should be nice. Happy days. Tomorrow we are off to mums again. The weather is supposed to be good, so I may even get my costume on and go in. But then maybe not, the water is COLD.