Picking up projects and starting afresh, new needles/yarns!

Well if I had lost any enthusiasm for knitting (which I probably hadn't!) I've certainly got it back after attending Fibre Flurry last weekend I found myself totally MAD on knitting SHAWLS!
I can feel another of my obssessive compulsive enthusiasms coming on ..

anyway, OTN's and knitting up very nicely is the lovely Flamenca.
I've really got established with this pattern and finding it a pleasure to just sit and pick it up and knit a set of rows to relax while watching tv or waiting for something to bake in the oven!
The yarn is nice, and I do like the sparkle but I'm glad that I didn't use sparkle yarn for SOCKS, I wonder if it would irritate? the sparkley thread? hmm

Flamenca Shawl

As well as the pattern and yarn I'm also enjoying the NEEDLES.  I'm knitting with 4mm knitpros and do find these a nice needle and I'm developing a small collection now of sizes.  Open always! to alternatives! I nearly bought a pair of square knitpros and in one way I wish I had just to say I've got a pair and to try them! But I'm pleased that I was tempted in to buying a pair of hiya-hiya 9" sock needles from Brownberry yarns last weekend.  they are slightly tricky to get used to as the tips are small to handle/knit with but the actual process of the knitting in the round is much easier!  I suppose it would be? I know you could stop at any point with DPN's or ML, but somehow you really CAN stop anywhere with these!
I wanted to CO for Marlene a sock pattern I've had planned for ages, but in the end I didn't have the right yarn for it and when a few of my craft-pals expressed some interest in knitting gloves decided instead to CO for these!  a pair of gloves! in this! yum!!  I think what I'll do is get some jitterbug for Marlene - in pink!

Knotty Glove

The colour is actually not showing correctly, its actually a defnite "green" this looks more blue, but it might be the light/shot, I'll try and take another one and update the photo but you can see that I've knit most of the 6.5cm cuff already.  I bought it from the fibre flurry "shop" - Natural Dye Studio.

Elsewhere back OTN's is the hem border for Cloud!  which was temporarily abandoned for some reason I can't recall and I dug it out and decided to pick up where I'd left off - after ages trying to worth out WHERE in the 36rep row pattern sequence I had left off and HOW to resume the border in the end I pulled it OFF and started again.  Tiresome, as I had done about 1/3 of it but thats what you get for leaving projects without adequate notes detailing exactly WHERE you left it at the time!?

I started this before I had my little "head" problem, but since last Sept I have had difficulties with some aspects of my memory and now I find that this is a pattern I need to sit and concentrate on, again I ought perhaps to have knit this in one go at the time when I could knit it! never mind, I wasn't expecting to go all woolly in the head now was I?

Anyway, this is a photo I took after 1 complete set of the pattern and as you can see its GREEN! hmm. I seem to be definitely attracted to green at the moment.  Already I have planned another project from this book - this time in a nice shade of brown/calmer.  but we'll see.  I have further plans for another project from Rowan 50 using this.

Pattern repeat for Cloud border

FINALLY to round the week another batch of baking! yum this time some easy-peasy Rock Cakes from the Hairy Bikers mums know best book I've still got from the library.  really nice and spicy I got 9 generous sized cakes from the mixture which is handy given there are 3 of us in our household at the moment ..

Rock Cakes

Tomorrow I'm looking forward to meeting up with knit-pal-Sally and we're going to go to the knit and chat am session - with our knitting!!