No. 2 is 1

Pattern: Debbie Bliss, Baby Knits Book

Yarn: Manukau yarns - colour unknown.

Time spent clicking: 1 weekend

My second niece Alice is one this week. It was her birthday party yesterday in CHCH - I missed out but sent her down a little vest. I was thinking it's getting too late in the year to be sending knits down but the horrid weather we've been having this weekend means I'm ok! It's my usual vest pattern but this time I actually did the neckband - it's a simple one but sticks out quite a bit so I don't normally do it.

Here are some websites I enjoyed a while back - enough to write a note that I tell you about them: Blue Hour Designs - I love the teardrop and rhombus (?) shaped rings; TTP sent me this one ages ago - can't remember if I've referenced it before - but I love the Too Legit to Knit tshirts!

It's CH bday today - I took him shopping yesterday for a new pair of shoes and jeans. Can I just ask does anyone else find how difficult are blokes at shopping??!! JEEZ CH thought we would only be an hour or two - and he only ever wanted to try on 1 item, if it was the wrong size, it was the wrong garment! And he didn't want to bother the shop assistants? And he didn't want to stop for coffee? I think my of last shopping day with TTP - 2 hours in one changing room alone ... that lad has a long way to go! I'm going to make him a nice choc cake today - and maybe find somewhere for brunch - he might not do shopping well, but he sure does eating my baking brillantly!!

Hope you are finding a good spot to knit today with this windy Sunday!

De-stashing

How many odd balls in the stash can you get through before you are bored of beanies and booties? Answer: lots! I thought it was a good effort - at least 5 balls found life warming little bubba heads. Lucky there were loads of new bubbs born this month (the usual September rush!).

The CHCH EQ made my job extremely busy this week, and probably for weeks to come. It was a huge event and still is, I guess with all the aftershocks. My family are all fine, which is good although I think one dog is missing still. I hope your family and friends in CHCH are well and if not, are finding the strength to keep building back to normality.

carrying on with the green theme ...

Pattern: Tank Top from Debbie Bliss "The Baby Knits Book" & a random hand-written bootie pattern from someone.

Yarn: Patons Bluebell (Navy) & Utiku Perendale 8ply (Avocado)

Needles: 4mm

Time spent clicking sticks: 1 weekend

This was the start of my MASSIVE de-stashing mission (just how many booties and beanies can you knit with a box of odd balls!!??). Left-over Utiku from the cabled jumper, a little tank top was in order for a new second cousin just born. I think the booties are a bit big - but little Keegan will grow into them I'm sure - his mum is a soccer player afterall! It's another old fav this pattern - really easy and fun to mix up. I didn't do the ribbed neck in the pattern as it sticks out a bit and I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong for that. A little felt heart sewn on to finish it off and complete the sweetness!

Cables in Avocado

Pattern: Cabled Raglan Baby Sweater by Rebecca Daniels from Knitting Daily's "7 Free Baby Knits"

Yarn: Utiku Perendale 8ply in Avocado (052), 1 x 200gm hank

Needles: 4mm and 3.5mm for edges - this doesn't follow the pattern but the yarn

Time spent clicking sticks: 1 weekend

This is such a cool pattern - I've knitted about 5 of these now I love it so much. I have started adapting the cables (although not on this one) and want to start substituting the cable for another stitch like seed stitch. The cables weren't perfect on this one but a solid blocking helped a lot. It's a little jumper for my an old workmate who has just had her first little boy. She is a bit of a knitter so I really wanted to do something nice that a knitter could appreciate.

Who took the beetroot juice?

I must have been channelling the colour violet thru May-June ... not only did I finish my Patons Shrug in Mist (that's what the last post was and once I can get a photo of it on me, I shall report back as it was a great pattern), but I almost managed to grow this violet coloured thing in the vege garden. I'm sure it was meant to be a broccoli or a cauliflower but the fact that I gave up on my winter garden months ago means I really have no idea. It was planted very close to a patch of beetroot which also failed ... maybe the beetroot failed because the thing sucked up it's violet juice? Whatever it was it went to seed immediately from this size, so I didn't need to try and eat it.

How's your winter vege garden going? I'm already thinking of how I can re-position mine for a bumper summer crop.

YPMURG

yip, I'm grumpy ... had 4 wisdom teeth out a couple of days ago ... have a mouth full of stitches, cheeks like a chipmunk... have never eaten so much jelly and banana smoothies in my life ... all I want is a burger and I'm still a few days away from that...

grumpier still ... while trawling through NZ craft sites I found several peeps selling beanies like mine ... the strawberry design seems popular ... now I don't exactly spend 25 hours a day pushing my beanies to world domination, but I didn't think in a small nation people would be so obvious...

grumpiest ... that I'm back at work and can't spend anymore recovery days in front of the telly knitting!!