A Year of Projects Update - week 16

Gosh another week has flown past!
For those of you that asked from last weeks post - the little cloths were made from cotton yarn and I am using them to cleanse my face.  They are a very simple cast on 3 stitches, increase every other row up to 25 stitches then decrease every other row back down to 3 stitches and voila! a little cloth.  I can report that after a week of use and washing they are working perfectly and I don't think I will return to cotton wool pads again.

I have no finished objects this week and only a few works in progress, but I have lots of plans for the next few days.
WIP's
My Christmas jumper is on the home stretch - I have joined the sleeves and am making my way through the yoke.  I have done the first set of decreases so this should speed up and I anticipate being finished by next week.

I am trundling through the Octoberfest socks now I am on the long circular needles.

I also started my mum's Christmas present socks - I have done the toes.

And that's all I have this week!
Next week, however, it is the start of the half term holiday and we are going to visit my mum, so I will need some projects to take with me.
I hope to have finished one October sock and I can therefore, work on the second sock.
I have wound my yarn so that I can start Chuck. I have this in my new project bag that I won with Knotty gnome in the Magical Maladies KAL.  I just need to add needles and I am away.

 I have also wound my yarn for the pumpkin spice mitts, but I doubt I will take that with me, I will leave them here.
So I think that is enough for a moment!
Hope you all have a great week and check out the rest of the Yoppers from the link in the side bar.

A Year of Projects Update - Week 15

All of a sudden, Autumn has arrived in England!  Which is brilliant as it means I can break out all of the knits!
FO's
I pretty much finished the little cloths, they have been installed in a pot in the bathroom and I have begun usage!  I am still knitting a couple more so that I always have lots, but here they are at the moment.

I also finished my festive candy cane socks.  I made a pair for Daniel about a year ago and have always wanted to make myself some.  The yarn is from Mothy and the Squid and I love them.

WIP's
I still have some of the same old wip's!  However, these are the ones I have been working on.
My Christmas jumper is coming along - I finished the second skein of Knit by numbers on the body and so wanted to finish the second sleeve, before returning to finish the body.

I have also cast on my October socks and so, I have the tale of needle woe!  I decided to try out my new 9 inch Hiya Hiya needle this month as I wanted to use some Zauberball in Octoberfest.  I completed the ribbing and about an inch of leg, but was finding it so fiddly and then I found a dropped stitch (I almost never drop a stitch in my socks).  So despite not really giving them a fair chance, I decided to move off to my default magic loop. Soon after this the needle must have fallen on the floor and I subsequently hoovered it up!  So now it never will have a chance but I am ot that upset.

Dream knitting
I have had to add to my list.
I hope to cast on the pumpkin spice mittens this week and very recently, I have become quite obsessed with the Penguono by Stephen West.  I am not really sure where this has come from, but I have been planning the colour combinations and getting quite excited.  I am hoping to hold off casting on until the new year and knit it as part of the self indulgent KAL with the Yarniacs podcast (this is a little premature as they have only just fnished the colors of fall KAL and haven't even mentioned the SIKAL yet!)
Anyway, I think that is enough from me - hope everyone has a great week - happy crafting!

A Year of Projects Update - week 14

This is just going to be a quick one this week.  We went to the season finale of the touring cars today and got back a bit too late to take photos of my WIP's.
I finished my September socks this week.  The yarn is by Hedgehog fibres and is amongst the loveliest I have ever worked with.  I can't wait to wear these, but these are for my boxosox for a moment.

I have done some work on both of my other main WIP's this week and hopefully, by next week these will almost be finished.  They being my Christmas jumper and my festive socks (a theme here I feel!)
I also bought some yarn this week (I have been good for several weeks!)  I got some Knitting Goddess for my pumpkin spice mittens that I have decided to make.
I will do a better and fuller check in next week.  Have a great week.

A Year of Projects Update - week 13

I'm a little late in the day posting this week, and I still haven't finished the socks pictured below!  I have done lots of other jobs though.
WIP's
My September socks.  They are so close to being finished, just the ribbing to go.

These are Losers Lurgy by the knotty gnome and the yarn is hedgehog fibres and is splendid!
My Christmas jumper is progressing.  I do a few rows each night.

My festive socks in Mothy and the Squid candy cane are coming along nicely, but are on hold for a moment while I finish my September socks.

I have also made some progress on my scarf.  This is Seville in Pom Pom magazine.  The rows are so long and are lace so take a while to do.  There is progress I promise!

Lastly I have started a new project.  In an effort to save the planet (well one step towards anyway), I have decided to knit little cloths that I can use instead of cotton wool pads.

So what have I been doing other than knitting?  I have been in the garden - mosty planting, but also pulling up potatoes, carrots and the single beetroot that grew this year.  I also made some cakes.  The Great British Bake Off is back on our screens and it was caramel week this week - so I felt inspired to make some caramel cakes.

Hope you all have a good week - I am going to finish those socks now and have a cake.

A Year of Projects Update - week 12

Settling back into a school routine has been a bit hectic this week.  We went to Goodwood last week to watch some vintage cars racing and despite the fact I fully intended to post an update last week, it never happened.  Hopefully I am now back to some sort of normality after the summer.
So how has my progress been?  It seems very slow after a few finished objects, but I have worked on several different things.
First is my September socks.  These are the Dragon Pox pattern by the Knotty gnome, and the yarn is Hedgehog fibres in the Arcade colourway.

I have never used Hedgehog fibres before and this is absolutely gorgeous - so soft but definitely has nylon in it so should wear ok.
I have also made good progress on my candy cane socks.  I am have just turned the heel.

This is just a vanilla sock with a fish lips kiss heel.  Yarn is candy cane by Mothy and the Squid, with a contrast heel in West Yorkshire Spinners yarn.  I have lost count of how many heels I have done in this yarn now and a pair of socks for my older son, but it is now finally finished.
I have also made good progress on the body of my Christmas jumper.  I have already finished one sleeve and the body is coming along nicely.  The yarn is John Arbon textiles knit by numbers and it is delightful.

I have done some work on my scarf, but I will post a picture of that next week when, hopefully, the progress will be tangible.

I have just been uploading photos and just realised I do have a finished object that I have not shared here!  My Breathing Space is finished.  I love it and have already worn it before blocking.

I think that is about it, I have just dug up our third crop of potatoes and now going to settle back with some knitting and an iced cappacino, before making up packed lunches for the week and doing the ironing.
Hope you have a great week.

A Year of Projects Update - Week 10

The summer is nearly over here.  It's been a bit of a whirlwind this year, but I wouldn't change a thing, we have had a brilliant time.  I go back to work tomorrow, but the boys and Darren are off to Howletts, which is a wildlife park about an hour away.  I will miss them tomorrow :-(

Anyway to the knitting!
FO's
I finished my August socks on the last day of the month.  These are the Spattergroit socks by the Knotty gnome and the colourway is the first surprise club yarn by Little French Meadow in the Up, Up and Away colourway.

I can also show my test knit - Wildflower Honey by Knitterarium (I think I could show it before but better be safe!).

I have also made a few skirts and tops, but they are not photographed yet so I will report on that in a later post.
WIP's
This has been a week of sleeves.
I finished one sleeve on Breathing Space, so I am nearly done with this one.

I also knit a sleeve on my Christmas jumper.  This is John Arbon Knit by Numbers and I love this yarn, it is so soft and warm.

I am hoping to cast on the body today.
I have also cast on my next pair of socks, which is going to be my Christmas socks.  Yarn is Mothy and the Squid - candy cane.

And I have wound my yarn for my September socks (sorry the pic is upside down!)  This is Hedgehog fibres in the arcade colourway and the pattern I will knit is the next one in the Knotty Gnomes collection.

Acquisitions
My last surprise club package came last month and it was stunning.

I didn't sign up to the next one as I had bought the advent package.  I will probably buy the surprise club in the new year again.
I also bought some Blacker Yarns Lyonesse so that I can knit a second Zinone.
And that, is that!  Please visit the group in Ravelry to see what everyone has been up to.  Link is on the side bar.

A Year of Projects Update - week 8

The summer here is whizzing past in a blur of camping and knitting - definitely not complaining.  We went to the New Forest here in England last week that was absolutely gorgeous.  We stayed in a campsite right next to a steam railway and subsequently caught the train on the days we were there.

So that was the camping and this is the knitting - I have FO's!
FO's
I have finished a second pair of shortie socks.  These are knit in Mellifera yarn in bluebell.

I also finished my Bon Bon mitts from Pom Pom magazine.  These are knit from Malabrigo Arroyo in the Archangel colourway.  I love these and will omit the pom poms as I think they will get in the way.

WIP's
I, as always, have several.  I am making my way down the first sleeve of Breathing Space.
I have cast on my August socks in Up, Up and Away from Little French Meadow.  These are a splendid colour and I am going to be using the Spattergroit pattern by Knotty Gnome.  I will be taking these with me this next week (as we head off for our last holiday to Cornwall).

My triangle socks and Sevilla are still ongoing.
And finally, I have cast on my Christmas jumper.  I shall be following the tender heart pattern from Heart on My Sleeve.  They suggest you use the sleeve as a swatch and given that I don't like to swatch this is a great idea.  I shall adjust the sleeve as I go and then take my gauge from that to knit the body.
I am using John Arbon Textiles Knit by Numbers DK which is gorgeous and was going to insert a photo here but then my computer broke so it is not to be!
Acquisitions
I received the third instalment of the surprise club this week, but here is a sneak peak at parcel two.

I also signed up for their advent club so that I can knit some scrappy advent socks.  And that is that.  Next week we have our last holiday but I will try to post when we return - it will probably be late again!  Have a lovely week.