A Year of Projects Update - week 27

I so hope everyone had a lovely Christmas where it is celebrated.  Ours was lovely and we are now enjoying twixmas (I have never used this term myself but have seen it all over the place this year!) by spending some time relaxing.
I have done some sorting out his week - checking my project bags and seeing where I am with WIPs.  I have not attempted looking at my stash, but maybe I should...  ETA - I now have and sorted my wool into piles of: keep, give away and throw.  I managed to free up some space for material as well as I have quite a stash of that as well.
I have one FO this week, and that is the advent socks using the advent minis from Little French Meadow.

I have two WIP's that I would like to finish soon - one is a scarf and one a headscarf.  I am going to pick these back up this week and see if I can get them off the needles.  This is the headscarf which is very close to completion now.

I have also started Julgrun this week with my West Yorkshire spinners aran.

Because it is worsted weight it is knitting up really quickly.
I have also cast on a pair of socks with my yarn that I got from Little French Meadow from their advent calendar.  It is beautiful, I am loosely following the hazelnut socks by Helen Stewart as part of her sock society.  I say loosely as I am doing them toe up and I will not be doing the heel suggested and I probably won't switch the pattern round - I will just do it upside down and call it baubles!

I also received a fabulous package from Eden Cottage Yarn.  In it was this yarn and the beautiful project bag that I am using for the socks.

And that is all of my knitting projects this week.
I have a pile of fabric on the table with some more arriving today.  I want to run up a Coco, an Arielle, some PJ bottoms and couple of tops by the time we return to school  We will see.
I have also been thinking about what projects I want to have for next Christmas!  I know it is early but I always run out of time.  I think bath bombes could be a strong contender again, but I am also thinking about making candles.  I have a million mugs that we never use, so I am going to get the materials and make loads for next year.
So there you have it, my twixmas thoughts and making.
Have a great week.

A Year of Projects Update - week 26

I hope everybody has a lovely festive season and Christmas if you celebrate.
I finished both projects that I wanted to.
Rugged coat is done.  I love it.  I knit it in Knit picks city tweed in blue blood.  It is just the right size - big enough to wear as a coat, but not so big I drown in it.

I have worn it everyday since I finished.
I also finished my festive socks for the strictly sockalong.

The yarn is from Stranded dyeworks - naughty list.
As a result, I have made quite a lot of progress on my advent calendar socks.  I am now past the heel.

This is using yarn from my Little French Meadow advent.
I have also made a bit of a dent in my blanket.
We are now installed at mum and dad's!  I have brought my advent socks and blanket.  I have also brought supplies to make a new year pair of socks with yarn from under the tree.  And I also settled on Julgran by Andi Satterlund.  This is a Christmas jumper, but I figure of I get it underway now, I should be able to finish it in time for next Christmas.
So that is is for now.  I should be able to show you my new cast ons before the new year!
Hope everyone has a marvellous week.

A Year of Projects Update - Week 25

After the week of mitts, this week seems quite disappointing!  But I am so close to finishing two more projects.
I have  completed one sleeve on Rugged coat and am half way through the second sleeve.

I thought the end of the strictly sockalong was last night during the final of strictly come dancing, but it isn't until early January.  In which case I have ages to finish my strictly socks!  Having said that I would like to get both of these off the needles by the end of the week.

I also started a pair of socks with my advent minis.  I am using all of the variegated and speckled ones and saving the solids for heels and toes.

On Friday, we are travelling to visit my mum and dad for Christmas.  I would really like to take some new projects with me, hence my wanting to finish off some projects!
I hope everyone has a great week, click the link to the right to check out the rest of the group.

A Year of Projects Update- Week 24

Oh wow, where is the time going?  I completely missed last week after saying I was going to change my ways!  This week I am up early and am determined to post before we go to see Father Christmas.

I have some finished objects this week!
I finished the mitts for mum and dad.  These are from the latest Knitvent collection from Helen Stewart.

I used some Rowan that I had in stash for dads mitts and some Eden Cottage for mums.









I also finished some fingerless gloves for Daniel.  These are knit is some yarn from The Knitting Goddess in the colourway Tiger feet.

I am pleased to say, he loves them and has worn them ever since I finished them.
The final FO is also mitts.  These are Delftig by Anna Maltz and are for me.

They are from the Marlisle book and I have knit them in some natural coloured local wool and some laceweight Garthenor.
I have been knitting away at Rugged coat and have now nearly completed one sleeve and hope to be nearly finished next week. 
I have also been plugging away at my Christmas Strictly socks.  I shall try to make progress this week as next week is the final and it would be nice to finish them then.
I put up my advent garland - unfortunately I only got as far as 8 little socks.  But that is ok, I am rotating the packages, so as soon as I open one I replace with the next one.  Next year I hope to get most finished.

 And finally, I made some pom poms with faux fur.  I followed the recipe here.

I am going to use these as parts of presents as Christmas tree decs and keyrings.
And that's me done.  Have a lovely week and lets see if I can keep this up!

A Year of Projects Update - week 22

The weeks are flying by, I can't really believe that just next week we will be getting ready for the festivities of Christmas.
I have made progress this week on most of my projects but have no finished objects.
I have cast off the body of Rugged coat and have done the pocket linings. 

So just sleeves to go.  I want nice long sleeves so these may take a while!
I have made some progress on the strictly socks, although not as much as I would like. 

I finished the first of the mitts for mum and dad.  And I have cast on number two of both.  Hopefully these will be done by next week.

I have a new cast on.  I was going to knit Thomas a pair of gloves but having done the cuff we realised they are too small.  So I gave in and bought him a pair and these will become a pair for Daniel instead!

 Hard to believe there is only 3 and a half weeks until we break up.  It's a bit of a blur of mock exams and Christmas performances and so will rocket by.  I hope everybody has a brilliant week, please come by the group and check out everyone's posts - link is to the side.

A Year of Projects Update - week 21

This is going to have to be very short and sweet this week.  I have been getting later and later posting, and next week I have decided is the time to get myself in order and try to get back to Sunday's!  I know it isn't a problem but I like to post on Sundays and I have missed it.
This week I have no finished objects but I have made progress on Rugged coat and my strictly socks.
I have no photos of these but I do have a new cast on....
I have done Knitvent by Helen Stewart for a couple of years now.  I have printed off the first 2 patterns in readiness but I have cast on the fingerless mitts called the How Quiet mitts.  I am going to knit two pairs one for mum and one for dad and so am doing them two at a time.  I have started the left ones.

The yarn I am using is Eden cottage milburn DK in the pink and a Rowan felted tweed that are the green ones.
And that is it for this week.  We have a day off on Friday so I hope to do some Christmas shopping and get a bit of knitting in.
I hope everyone has a good week and has a great thanksgiving if you celebrate.

A Year of Projects Update - week 20

Thank you for all of your well wishes after my last post.  I finally got back to work on Thursday having got some medication.  It still hasn't gone completely and I still feel lightheaded for most of the morning, but it is getting better and it is nice to know it is nothing more sinister than labyrinthitis.
This week however, I was at least able to do some knitting. 
I finished Daniel's Hufflepuff scarf this week and ironed on the badge.  I think it looks pretty good!

I did do a fair bit of work on the scrappy blanket, but as with htis type of project it doesn't look much at the moment, so I will get a picture in a couple of weeks.
I put a lot of work into Rugged Coat by Joji Locatelli.  This apparent mess is it and it is splendid, if I say so myself.  I have got to the point of the pockets.  I am now just going to keep going until I use four more balls of yarn.  Then I will bind off and do the sleeves.

I have also cast on my next pair of strictly socks.  This yarn is Naughty List by Stranded Dyeworks and s gorgeous.  If I get them done in time I may enter them in both the strictly KAL by Little Drops of Wonderful and the festive sockalong by Stranded dyeworks.  I am just doing another pair of blueberry waffle with a fish lips kiss heel.

That's about it this week.  I again did more on my Delftig mittens, but I will show them when I have made more progress.

I hope everybody has a great week, please check the Ravelry group by the link on the right.

A Year of Projects Update - week 19

I am late this week.  I have not had a great week, suffering from vertigo for some of last week for it to go away over the weekend, only to return again today.  I am waiting for a doctors appointment at the moment.  It's not life or death, but unpleasant nonetheless.

I was able to do some knitting.
I finished my Let's make it to Blackpool - Strictly socks in the week.

These are in the blueberry waffle pattern and made in some Owl About Yarn that I have had in stash for a little while. 
I have since cast on some Christmas socks with Stranded Dyeworks yarn in the Naughty list colourway.
I made a little progress on my Rugged Coat.

I also picked up my Hufflepuff scarf and did some more.  I am nearly finished with this this, it just needs a few more rows, ends tied in and some tassels and we are done.

And here are my Delftig mitts - the second one.

Also while in bed last week I decided I really wanted to make a magic ball of yarn from my scraps, which I did, but then did not know what to do with it.  I considered a memory blanket, but know I would never finish it and then I would have to cut my magic ball. I considered a granny stripe or square blanket, but then I would have to teach myself and then no guarantees that I would enjoy it.  So I decided upon knitting, garter stitch, starting with 5 stitches and increasing each row until it is a size I like.  That way I can start and stop whenever I like and I know where I am!

Hopefully next week I will be back to normal - hope you all have a great week.

A Year of Projects Update - week 18

We have had a lovely week this week.  Nice and relaxed which was just what we needed.
Me and Daniel had fun making bath bombes this week.  They are very easy and there are lots of tutorials online.  You mix bicarbonate of soda and citric acid and then add your colour and fragrance and just enough water to make it stick together.
I also made some handwarmers this week.  Again very easy with lots of tutorials - I found mine from pinterest.  I made very small ones 10cm by 6cm lined with batting and with some rice inside them.  They take 5 seconds in the microwave and warm your hands!  I made loads!

I also made cakes - gingerbread and orange muffins. I will be making more gingerbread this afternoon as that has obviously gone.

On the knitting front, I made lots of progress with Rugged coat, but it is designed to be quite large so I still have a way to go.

I also made lots of progress on my Strictly socks.  I did hope to finish last night but I still have a little more leg and cuff to go.

I also made progress with my second Delftig mitts from Marlisle - I will save that picture to next week.  Instead I will leave you with photos of our week.

A Year of Projects Update -week 17

I am a day late, but now we are on our half term break.  We do not have too many plans so I intend to do a fair bit of crafting.  Me and Daniel made a batch of bath bombes yesterday, and now he has taken quite a liking to them.  We have got some more ingredients coming and then we will make some more.  I will post pictures next week.
So this week...
I have made progress on my Rugged coat.  I have now joined the two fronts and back, so now it is just continuing in pattern until it is time for pockets.

I am really enjoying this but I will not have it finished soon!
I haven't made much progress on my other projects, not enough to see anyway. 
This afternoon I cut lots of pieces of fabric to make handwarmers for Christmas.

Tomorrow I will sew them and add some rice, and they will be done.  Again I will show you the finished articles next week.
For a minute, me and the boys are catching up with Harry Potter.  Thomas got into it over the summer and we watched all of the films, so now we are watching them again.
Anyway, that is it for this week - hopefully I will have lots of nice things next week!

A Year of Projects Update - week 16

I finished my Ess shawl.  During the week I quickly realised I was going to run out of the 5th skein!  I decided then that I didn't really want to get another skein and that it was plenty big enough.  So instead of a triangle I have a trapezoid.  Once I had cut the steek of course, which was great fun and then fashioning the fringe from the steek stitches was magic.

The pattern is from Anna Maltz's book Marlisle, and the yarn is Eden Cottage yarn oakworth dk.  I love it.

I am also making progress on Rugged coat by Joji.

And I have made some progress on my Strictly socks.

Of course I am now excited about the next cast on!  I want to cast on a twiddle muff for my gran for Christmas, and I want to finish the second mitt (Delftig - also from the Marlisle book) for me.  I also want to cast on Julgrun by Andi Satterlund as a Christmas jumper for me to join Ruth in an informal make along - I too want a Christmas outfit , and I would quite like to make it myself!
So I think that is all I have been up to and my imminent plans - I hope everyone's week is going well.

A Year of Projects Update - week 15

Well having said I was back, I promptly missed a week.  We went to the last meeting of the season for the Touring cars last Sunday and then it was back to work in a whirl.
I have made some progress on several projects.
My Ess is coming along a treat.  I got a new skein from Eden Cottage but I must have had the wrong ball band so it is slightly the wrong colour!  Not to worry, I am busy fading it in so it should be fine. 

I have also made some progress on Rugged coat by Joji.  I have completed both front shoulders and am now working the middle back.  This is being knit in Knit Picks City tweed in the blue blood colourway. 

I have also made progress on my Strictly Come Dancing socks.  I am using some Owl About Yarn that I have had in stash for a while.

And that is it - I hope to make more progress in the week and have some noticeable progress to show next week.
Hope everyone has a great week.

A Year of Projects Update - Week 13

Well I think I can safely say that Autumn has hit England.  It's now been raining for two days and it's been veritably chilly!

So, the knitting has to go up a gear...
I have a FO.  My summer shortie socks are done.  Just in time for the cold weather.  Oh well I will have them next year. 

I just used up some leftover yarn for these, I think one is by Stranded dyeworks.
WIP's
My Ess is coming along nicely, although I am definitely going to run out of yarn.  Therefore, I have ordered another skein from Eden Cottage yarn (amongst other things - I have been so bad!)

Rugged coat is also coming along, but looks very much like it did last week, as does the Hufflepuff scarf, so will update next week. 
Since I have finished my shortie socks, I have to cast on more.  So I cast on my Let's make it to Blackpool socks which are the socks I am knitting for the Little Drops Of Wonderful Strictly Come Dancing sockalong.  I am using an Owl About yarn sparkle sock in Milky Way from stash.

I am hoping to get this pair finished by Blackpool week and then I might be able to get some Christmas socks in.
I think that is it for this week.  We are out again at the racing next week so may not be able to post, but then it is the last one of the season.  To catch up with the others please click on the link to the right.

A Year of Projects Update - week 12

And so, I missed another week!  We went to the racing at Goodwood and I just ran out of time.

I have various things to report though.
I finished All the Love last week.  I knit it from Treskellion yarn which is gorgeous.  I used every last bit of it and it means that the sleeves are a little tight at the moment, but I'm hoping a block may improve that.  I have worn it all day today and it is lovely all the same, if I say so myself.

I have put in some work on my Hufflepuff scarf.

And made progress on the Ess shawl.  Each row on this takes ages at the moment, but every row decreases, so I'm looking forward to the shorter rows!

Someone asked about the tassels the other day.  The Ess shawl is clever in that it is knit in the round and then at the end is steeked and the steek stiches make up the tassels - I am looking forward to this moment of magic!
I have also made some inroads to Rugged Coat by Joji Locatelli.

And last but by no means least, I have made progress on my latest shortie socks.

I have also lost all willpower this week and purchased some yarn from Homespun Wonders for my new year socks, some Christmas yarn (Naughty List) from Amy at Stranded Dueworks and I bought the Flower Power fund yarn from Eden Cottage Yarn from her second batch produced.
On the whole it has a planned use so I don't feel too bad.  I will share photos in the coming weeks.
Hope everyone has a great week.  To catch up with the others click the link on the right.