There has been SOME knitting!

Martha is progressing nicely, I'm working on the right front and the pattern is a lovely one to follow and just right for evening knitting, not too weighty on my still sore shoulder I'm hoping to crack on and complete this soon!

My socks are also knitting up well on the circulars and though I had a slight "wobble" after turning heel and adjusting for the gusset whereby for some peculiar reason I completely lost my rythmn and starting mixing my needles and nearly lost my temper after the 3rd time of taking off and putting back ON the needles the 2nd sock, I managed to get a grip and am now well on the way to knitting the foot section!

Took my socks with me to hospital appointment yesterday for scan on shoulder, I arrived around 50mins early and the receptionist was initially concerned I'd be "bored" as I was on my own and the waiting room was empty at that stage too, I assured her I'd be perfectly fine! I had my KNITTING! with me and I was quite ok at waiting as I'd not been sure where the hospital actually WAS, I'd allowed plenty of time and prepared for a "wait".
As it happens, the time passed very quickly, as it does when are knitting, and I managed to get quite a few rounds in and was quite glad of the peaceful time in the end!
Three more hospital appointments in the coming weeks, these should get knitted up quite well! (shame I can't say the same about my "problems"!)


Popped in to haby dept for a look at new yarns/patterns for inspiration but they were having a move around (and a considerably reduced space too) in local House of Fraser and I didn't see anything that grabbed my attention so left empty handed.

Of course I still have sock.2 to knit for the Seduction sock pattern I had been working on alongside my circular socks and I do plan to cast on for this shortly.

Weekend Reading Material

I do like my magazines! and LOOK what I've got to read this weekend:

The Knitter!
Yarn Forward!
AND Threads!

(and I've still not fully finished reading Sewing World either - good job I've nothing planned for weekend)

Although it is Mothering Sunday, I don't plan to do anything special (or, rather, my FAMILY don't plan on doing anything special! - dh already cooks and washes up each Sunday anyway, and I can't say I fancy breakfast in bed, particularly, and with my stomach the way it is, I don't think chocolates is a good idea and flowers wouldn't fare terribly well with two cats either!) but I am hoping to enjoy a nice quiet catch up with my magazines.

Happy Mother's Day in advance to all "mums" ..

Birthday Celebrations continued

The family enjoying an evening at our house followed by a meal out which was lovely to celebrate the occasion of our son's 16th birthday.


hurrah! MONEY! always a safe but popular option (and that was just us as his parents!!) our son opening cards and gifts on his birthday. A very generous cash gift from no.1.brother, Martin, went down very well apparently - although I missed this and according to the family the cash is well hidden (from me!) which is probably wise!


Our no.2.son baked a cider cake which was yummy! and yes we still do the happy birthday/blowing candles although on this occasion I ran out of candles and we settled for 6 instead!


A very popular and exciting present came from my no.2.brother, David, who purchased a half hour flying lesson gift and this was very well received by our son who is thrilled.

Me, wishing our lovely son who IS no.1. as well as being no.1.son a very happy 16th birthday, I couldn't ask for a nicer son who just delights us and long may THIS continue!!

A very Happy 16th Birthday!

A very happy 16th birthday to our no.1.son!!

Although. I still can't believe he IS 16yrs (surely I'm only a little older than that myself? gulp! where DID the time go?) it only seems like yesterday that he was a "little boy" - now he's towering above us both at 6' and starting to make a break for independance! help!!!

No.2.son has baked him a cake - a Cider Cake - which he'd requested, and his uncles are coming round tonight and we're off for a celebratory meal in the evening. Next week he and two pals are off to see Snow Patrol also by way of celebration - how marvellous it is to have all "this" in front of you? Though I wouldn't particularly want to repeat it all again (especially some aspects!) I'm rather happy with all that I did do and I hope he manages to do all that HE wants too. Exciting times. (I think).

Reading books on the go

Currently on the go:
Sea of Poppies and A Month in The Country - Must crack on with the first as I am unable to renew from library as its reserved by someone else.

No.2.son.13yrs is currently reading his way through this set and dh has a pile of books he's half way through but no.1.son is "off" reading at the moment (but is excused due to mass revision for GCSE's).

Need another book/s suggestion soon! Anyone read anything new/good?

Knitting Update

It hasn't all been shivering under feet of snow with kids home all week or trips out with lovely meals! There has been some knitting action!
Most notably I have finally FINALLY learned to knit two socks on two circulars!
Yay! I'm very proud of myself! And very pleased to have cracked this particular technique.
After completing my sock.1 on 2xcircs I was about to cast on 2nd sock when I discovered I actually had quite a bit more yarn left over and conveniently on two balls! Decided to have another go at following Terry's excellent photo tutorial and managed, this time, to grasp the idea! I've stuck with plain st st basic sock, but I have grand plans for something a bit more exciting next time!
(MUST now buy some super new sock circulars! these rather cheap and nasty ones with terrible joins are really awful!).
I still have my 2nd Seduction Sock to cast on but at the moment I am concentrating on the above which are just at the rather interesting stage of heel flaps.


Martha from Rowan Studio 2 is progressing nicely too! You can see I've knit the back and am at the cable stage for left front - this is a lovely knit and the pattern is easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy and is making me want to knit more cables!
I'm lusting after the jumper on the front cover of The Knitter magazine but I'm resisting so far!

Shoulder is holding up to the demands of this knitting, its little and often thats working best and I'm also paying attention to my posture (when I remember!) and basically not doing loads of anything that might aggravate it - hence less blog/pc time (I find myself increasingly hunching over the keyboard and peering at the monitor after a little time - I really ought to give in and wear glasses! as well as sit up STRAIGHT!).

Went to Coventry! (and came back) with my Brother

Sometime over the last couple of weeks I had a super day out with my brother and his partner to Coventry! I've not been before but my brother said the Cathedral is worth a visit and suggested taking camera. Loads of pics (mostly rather blurred, I have to admit, and somewhat confusing) here are just a couple:


Took the train there and back and looked around some of the shops and got treated to a FABULOUS meal and bottle of wine - coming close on the birthday of Martin's partner, Pete, they were in celebratory mood! A very good day out and brilliant company.

Catch ups!

phew! what a long time to catch up on! we've had the worst weather with snow for simply AGES and the most number of "snow days" off school that I can remember AND we've had half term week. All back to normal, now, both lads and dh have streaming colds and hacking coughs (probably down to the weather) but its all systems go from now in!
No.2.son has had his parents evening - usual stuff - gets bit boring after a while and with two well behaved and hard working lads achieving their standards and exceeding their targets it all blends into the same old same old - yawn .. still. it IS, I suppose, difficult to come up with some original way of commenting and I expect the teachers find it as tedious as we do. His French teacher actually apologised and said she really WASN'T being rude, but would we mind if she didn't actually SAY anything as there really ISN'T anything to say as she's said it all before .. actually that was different! and we didn't mind (much) at least we didn't have to sit and yawn for 4 mins ..
No.1.son has had all his results in for his mock GCSE's and is set now for the main lot which start sooner than we probably realise! He has an offer of place at both 6th form colleges he's applied to. Still determined to join the RAF, we took him to enquire further and have bunches of info to read and the whole thing starts again NEXT year as no.2.son commences his GCSE's and next week selects his options.

DH has luckily managed (thank GOODNESS) to escape a round of redundancies at work but there are still further changes afoot for the future which may or may not bode well and at 63yrs we can't work out if this will be in his/our favour or not, this side of offical retirement.
Of course MY plan (as dh keeps pointing out: MY plan) MY plan is that he apply to continue working on a part time basis for another couple of years, not least for financial reasons! two teens are not cheap!

My shoulder continues to bother me; I have appointment for scan mid March and end March for consultation. My gallbladder, apparently, is NOT likely the cause of my stomach issues - according to that Consultant. Visit tomorrow to GP to try and sort out just WHOSE problem I actually AM.
edit to add, after speaking to yet another Dr, apparently my GB is the cause of my stomach issues - hmmm