Miffy

Well ......

2012-01-02T15:54:00.001Z

it's been a funny end to the year. Mr Miffy has been off his feet for nearly 3 months now with a slipped disc and so life in the Miffy household has been somewhat distrupted. I'm still trying to finish the festive knitting I kept up with which is nothing compared to what I had planned at one stage. We are currently waiting for an appointment to see the surgeon to come through whilst hoping not to have another emergency visit to hospital in the meantime.I'm lying in bed while I type this listening to the kids playing and relishing the last few days of the holidays. Later we're off to meet friends which I am very much looking forward too. One downside to Mr Miffy's incapacity is that we haven't been able to go out as much as we otherwise would have done.So I'm hoping that once we can get the back sorted this will be a better year for us, or at least a more settled year. In the meantime I shall get back to my knitting. With everything that's gone on my updates on my Year of Projects progress has been sadly lacking. There has been knitting though and hopefully at some point there will be updates maybe even pictures!

Back to School

2011-10-06T12:02:00.000+01:00

We're having a busy autumn in the Miffy household. Bean started school this year and though I miss having him around and he misses being home with me he's settled in well so far. Going back to school has meant getting back into a routine for us all which I for one am enjoying. Of course by Christmas I'll be more than ready for the break.

While I do miss having everyone home it is nice to have the house (read TV) to myself for a bit and as I'm the only one here I can watch what I want when I want. Such a luxury. I'm getting into a nice little routine each week and have been finding plenty of time to knit. As there has been alot of knitting done I'll write a post later devoted to my output.

Holidays

2011-08-10T22:31:00.001+01:00

It's an odd thing really but just like when I was a child the summer holidays still seem to stretch away for ever at the start and then before I know it they are almost over and I'm wondering how to fit in all the stuff I want to do as well as all the boring grown up stuff I need to do. This is why in most years you'll find me still sewing name tape in school uniform a week after they've started back.

This year has been no different I had lots of plans for long walks with the kids and trips out and yet here we are with only a couple of weeks to go before Mr Miffy goes back to work and though we have been out and about I feel that we haven't done half as much as I wanted to and that I've wasted all the good weather. It's been raining on and off for a couple of days now which I know isn't helping my mood.

I don't think this feeling of not getting to do everything I want to is helped by the sudden lack of structure that our family life has once the holidays proper arrive. Because Mr Miffy works in a school no one has to get up and go to work no one gets up. The kids sort themselves out for breakfast etc these days so as we don't have to get out of bed we don't. By the time we drag ourselves out of bed half the day has gone. Don't get me wrong long lie ins with Mr Miffy are lovely but they do tend to stop us doing much more with our day as it's often been lunch time before the morning jobs are done and by then we can't be bothered to much more than chill out round home. I have to say though it does make for good quality home time with lots of family snuggles and chatting. In comparison to term time I spend very little time online other than for quick facebook checks though I have to admit to spending alot of time playing my solitare ap this summer.

I have come to the conclusion that though the lazing about and staying in bed half the day has been good in some ways if I want to get much more done this summer I need to listen to the alarm clock and shift myself out from under the duvet when it goes off.

Progress On My Year Of Projects.

2011-07-20T13:07:00.000+01:00

Well after the chaos that is the last few weeks of summer term I am finally finding time for a WIP post which I am combining with a Year Of Projects Post too. If you want to see more work in progress then go visit Tami's Blog and, if you are on Rav, you can find more Year of Projects posts in the Come Blog Along group.

All the projects I am sharing today are part of my Year of Projects list.

First up is some secret knitting. I have already changed the pattern from the one on my original list to Rachel's Cabled Hot Water Bottle Cover. I have knit one of these before and I prefer the sewn up bottom to the flap on the other pattern I considered. Given that I can only work on this when the boys are in bed it's going well. Forgive the picture I took it quickly this morning and the colour is really bad. In real life it's a much darker green. The yarn is Babylonglegs Radiance and I'm loving the way it is knitting up.

Next up is my vanilla socks which bring another pattern change. I have two 50g balls of this Regia so I decided I wanted to make it go as far as possible which of course means toe up socks. These are now Widdershins rather than my normal cuff down pattern. Now I'm past the hedgehog needle start I'm enjoying them. The plain socks make good TV knitting. Hopefully they'll get a fair bit of attention now the holidays are underway.

Lastly is the ultimate in TV knitting. I like to have a dishcloth on the needles for any car trips where I need to navigate for Mr Miffy. My dishcloths are almost always plain garter stitch affairs with me relying on the colours of the yarn to make them fun rather than a more complex pattern.

Growing Up.

2011-07-20T12:00:00.000+01:00

The closer it got to the end of this summer term the more aware I was that it has been the last few weeks of Bean's pre-school freedom.

Till now there has been nothing really to stop us having a day at home and skipping playgroup if we feel like it. Once he starts school he has to be there legally so no more day trips out if the mood takes us.

I'm going to miss our time together each morning and the sneaky trips to town for coffee the weekly Tots morning with more coffee and cake. I shall miss Tot's itself so much. It's been a fantastic group and I'm very grateful for my years there. I've met some fantastic friends through the group and will be keeping in touch with lots of them.

I've missed both the other children when they started school but I think that I am very aware of the fact that this is the end of an era. Come September I shall no longer have a pre-schooler at home but three school age kids. There aren't going to be any more babies for me so this is it. My family is growing up and while I am looking forward to the next stage in lots of ways I am going to miss this one.

Seven On Sunday Foo's Style.

2011-07-03T19:38:00.000+01:00

Last night Mr Miffy and I got to see two of our favourite bands play live :)

We've been waiting and keeping our fingers crossed since the dates were announced on 25th October last year and since we managed to get tickets in the pre-sale on 3rd November. So understandably my Seven On Sunday is slightly biased this week ;)

1) Huge thanks to my In Laws for having the three terrors overnight. The kids had a fab time including getting taken out for ice-cream.

2) All three children stayed fit and healthy. Last time we were supposed to go see a concert poor Eldest ended up have an emergency appendectomy so we had to cancel cos she needed her Mama and Dad at home with her and we needed to be close to her. Amazing how a scare like that puts life in perspective.

3) Our wonderful car got us there. It got us back too with no problems either but I'd have settled for just there.

4) The weather was wonderful. Dry all day and evening and lots of lovely sunshine while we were waiting for the concert to get going. There were lots of people to share the good weather with too.

5) Good people to sit with. We were really lucky to find some great folk to sit with. We all saved spaces for each other when people went for food, drink etc. Do you like our steps? Well what else do you do when your waiting fours hours for the great bands to come on stage except build steps.

6) Good support bands. We been waiting a long time to see Biffy Clyro (which is the band we were going to see when we had to cancel) so I'd been well pleased to see them as support and they were fab.

7) Lots and lots of Foo Fighters! Two and half hours altogether and they were completely brilliant. We had just the best time. We were right up against the barrier of the runway so we had a brilliant view. Dave Grohl is such a showman. Mr Miffy and I had such a fantastic time and we are going to do our best to go see them next time they play the UK.

Of course other good things have happened this week, lots in fact but the Foo's concert has got to be the highlight and really does deserve a post all to itself.

And So We Begin

2011-07-01T11:01:00.000+01:00

When I first decided to join in the the Year Of Projects, back in May, July seem along way off still but here we are already and it's time to officially get started. I must confess here that in a moment of being "TV knitting" free earlier this week I cast on the first project and got a couple of inches done but hey, I was too excited to wait. ;) Plus I didn't have anything else that I could work on and watch TV at the same time.

So here is my list:

1) Vest top - I have some lovely bargain priced pale blue bamboo that I have been intending to turn into a vest top for a while now. I've done some swatching and need to measure again and sort out a final pattern. I've Blogged about this top project before here.

2) Jaywalkers - I've got some black and purple yarn that I got at Woolfest a few years ago that should stripe really well.

3) Widdershins - I've knit these before and thought they would make a good TV knitting project if I do the stocking stitch version, once I'm past the cast on this is. I've got two 50g skeins of yarn so I figured I could get some nice long winter socks if I did them toe up and just carried on till the end of each ball.

4) Hot Water Bottle Cozy - This will be a Yule present for Middle who has been asking for a hot water bottle for a while now.

5) Hot Water Bottle Cozy - What Middle gets Bean wants and giving them a hot water bottle each will stop arguments and as I'm using stash for both will make good value Yule presents.

6) Centrique - I've been hankering after knitting this for a while now and a few weeks ago I tracked down and treated myself to some Babylonglegs Semi-Precious yarn which is just perfect for this project.

7) Hitchhiker - I've just finished one of these for myself and really enjoyed knitting it. I'm thinking it's shape will be great for my Sis so this will be her Yule present. My Sis buys herself a funky hat to wear each winter and so I'm just waiting for my Mum to find out this years colours so I can buy yarn to match.

8) Infinity Bag - Again this is a project I've done before and enjoyed. If I can get it to a reasonable size with the yarn I have stashed it will make a great "box" for my Mum and Dad's Yule gifts and will be something that my Mum will use too.

9) Sock for my Mum - She has asked me to knit her a pair for Christmas and has said that she will buy herself some yarn when she is at a particular horse show later this year.

10) Doublish - This will be my Niece's Yule present. I've already got the perfect yarn for this one.

11) Bakersfield (probably) - When I got the yarn for the Centrique I somehow ended up with two skeins, as you do. This is my current choice for the second skein though I may change my mind between now and casting on.

12) Evangeline - I almost always need to wear a hat in order to stop my sinuses giving me trouble so I'm always on the look out for pattern I like.

13) Mr Tom's Beanie - I'm a big WoollyWormHead fan so this is the first of a few of her designs.

14) Doodie - which I'll need to convert to an adult size though I shouldn't this I'll have any trouble doing it.

15) Woolly Wormhead Mystery Hat - Each year Woolly does a mystery hat releasing a clue every few days so assuming that she does one this year I'll be joining in again.

16) Dishcloth - I'm only doing plain garter stitch cloths as they are quick and easy TV and driving knitting.

17) Dishcloth - Number two

18) - Dishcloth - Number three. I could use one or two for me at home and the other one will go in my Mum's Yule gift bag.

And there you have it. 18 projects for the year although I'm not promising to stick absolutely to the list some may be dropped and others added depending on what pattern's and yarn I discover and what I am asked to do over the next year.

Out of the 18 I already have the yarn for 15 and my Mum is buying the yarn for her socks so at the moment I only have two skeins to buy. One for my Sister's scarf and one for the Woolly Wormhead Mystery Hat.

Volcano!!!

2011-06-29T17:13:00.000+01:00

When Middle and his class learned about volcano's earlier this school year (read a long, long time ago) the class made a big one and then all the kids made one of their own to bring home.

Middle's has sat on the drawers at home for months cos we're bad parents are we've just never gotten round to exploding his volcano. So at half term when we were all together at home Mr Miffy decided that this was the time to go for it.

Middle chose green food colouring for his volcano rather than the traditional red or orange lava and the we had great fun with vinegar and baking soda making the volcano explode over and again.

Seven Good Things

2011-06-29T11:26:00.000+01:00

Last week was been another busy one in the Miffy household in a couple of weeks everything will calm down as the end of term approaches but just now the kids are over tired and Mr Miffy has loads and LOADS of school stuff to get done so it's nice to take the time today to chill and focus on the positive things in life in my Seven On Sunday.

1) Coffee with friends. Twice this week with two different friends. Really lovely and relaxing both times.

2) New shoes. After my coffee with L on Monday we went for a quick mooch round the shops and made the mistake of going into the shoe shop. Now given that I only brought sandals the week before I should not have been looking for me but hey I was naughty and fell in love with a pair. I um'd and ah'd about them for a couple of days but then went back for them. Since I got them it has rained everyday and I've not been able to wear them yet but I'm sure they will get plenty of use.

3) It was Mr Miffy's school fair on Saturday so we went over with him while he ran the lucky dip stall. We had a nice chilled time the boys spent lots of money on the various stalls and we had a burger each for lunch after Mr Miffy had done his time in the stocks having wet sponges thrown at him by the school pupils.

4) Both the boys got woopie cushions from the school fair so there has been lots of hilarity and slightly off colour humour in the Miffy household. You can't begrudge them though when they are having such brilliant typically boy fun.

5) With this being report writing week for Mr Miffy there's been plenty of time for watching films in the evening while he's been working. Though I could have done with more than 3 hours sleep I did enjoy my Alien movie fest. I watched the first one on Wednesday evening and followed that up by watching two, three and four on Thursday evening. It's been a while since I put them on and I'd forgotten just how much I love them.

6) Hitchhiker progress. It's almost finished. Pic will have to follow when it's all done though.

7) Eldest and guide camp. Eldest went to her first Guide camp over the weekend, her first time under canvas too. She had a fantastic time even though it rained all night Friday night. She was sooooo tired though when we got her home.

No pictures today as Blogger simply refuses to load them, much to my annoyance.

That Wednesday Feeling

2011-06-22T16:34:00.002+01:00

Here we are with a Wednesday Work In Progress update.

I've not managed to find as much quiet time as I had hoped for the Roses Are Red shawl. My deadline is starting to loom (in my mind at least) but I've been pretty busy in the day these last couple of weeks and have not had an afternoon to myself. I think I may have to hide upstairs on my tod for half an hour this weekend and get the last row of this pattern repeat done and then I'll be able to do the easy stuff in the evenings. In theory there's only one more pattern repeat to do one the current one is finished so it shouldn't take too long now.

On the other hand there's been plenty of TV knitting time most evenings this week in between helping Mr Miffy with his work so the Hitchhiker is going really well. Just ignore the purple thread. I dropped a stitch and didn't realise for a few rows so I'm just going to weave it in once I've finished.

The latest addition to the Miffy household is turning out to be quite a lap cat which I am loving. He's fairly keen on helping out with the knitting though when he's awake. My stash/project corner has never been so tidy. I had to fetch a bamboo chest down from the loft and do some sorting out that that all the works in progress can be put away out of sight of yarn loving kitten eyes. Mr Miffy is loving it.

As ever to see other folks contributions to WIP Wednesday go to Tami's Blog and follow the links.

Seven On Sunday. On Monday Again!

2011-06-20T20:01:00.001+01:00

Well that pesky real life has been keeping me busy just lately and I missed last weeks Seven On Sunday completely and this weeks is another of the On Monday types but hey I'm sure no one really cares.

Seven for this week

1) Last Wednesday was Beans last Playgroup trip. The staff at our fantastic playgroup organise a day trip for the kids and mums/dads each year and we have always had a fantastic time. Despite the drizzle we had a lovely day out. Bean thoroughly enjoyed the fair rides and I enjoyed watching him play with all his friends.

2) Rain is good for the garden. This is me trying to think positively, it has rained rather a lot in the last few days. However this morning is bright and sunny and it was lovely to walk into town and back in the sunshine. I suspect if I were to sit out in the garden this morning I could about watch the plants grow.
3) Friday was day one of the Rally of the East Midlands. The boys and I dropped Eldest off at Guides and then stayed in town to watch the cars starting off on the first stage. When Mr Miffy got home he walked into town to join us and we went over to watch the special stage which is run in the council offices. It rained on us the whole time but Middle didn't care at all and we had a good time. Sadly it rained (and occasionally hailed) a bit too much for me to take Middle to see the other stages and the finish on the Saturday.

4) Just how hard can it be to photograph a kitten? The answer to that is "very" I have a great many photos of a black furry blur and lots more of bits of kitten where he ran away at the vital moment. Meet Castiel.

We gained a rescue kitten about ten days ago. It was either us or Animal Aid and while Animal Aid do all they can to provide good lodgings for their guests it not the same as a permanent loving home so I could hardly say no. It seems Mr Miffy couldn't either and so when he was asked he said yes too. He's now about 13 weeks old and very, very mischievous which of course makes him lots and lots of fun

5) The joy of knitting. Whilst I always enjoy my knitting there are times when it becomes all consuming and I want to fill every spare moment with it. I've been extra busy these last few weeks and so knitting time has been extra precious as a result. If I get organised I'll post a Work In Progress report on Wednesday.

6) New toys for Spike. Castiel isn't the only creature getting lots of attention this week. We gave Spikes tank a bit of a make-over this weekend. He's got a new side piece (fake rock) and a desert background. It's amazing just how much of a different it has made to our view of his tank. It's alot easier to look at now there's not a huge glaring expanse of white burning your eye sockets when you try to look in at him.

7) My families health. Whilst I always know how lucky I am to have my health and for my family to have their health there are times when it comes home to you just how lucky you are. There is a blog that I have been following for a few years now and the writer had some very sad news to share last week. I've met Amber a couple of times at Woolfest and I have one of her wonderful Femmes on my shelf. Her writing has been an inspiration to me in all sorts of ways. She and Mr Mog are both wonderful, kind, generous people and I wish them both well. I have them in my thoughts a great deal at the moment.

Conversations with Bean

2011-06-14T10:35:00.000+01:00

I had a very interesting conversation with Bean this morning. He is four and half now and getting more and more aware of and fascinated by the world around him. He starts school in September and though, like I did with Middle and Eldest before him, I am going to miss him terribly he is well ready to go.

This morning I had parcels to post and so walked into town first thing. In Bean's world a trip to town also means a trip to a coffee shop and who I am to argue.

So there we are sat enjoying our morning drinks and snacks when the Bean began to tell me all about how you have a home and before you have a home you live in a tummy. I agreed with him and then he sat for a moment to consider things a bit more. Now it wasn't too busy in the coffee shop but obviously being four Bean's voice is a bit loud and can carry somewhat. Next question "how do we get out of tummies?"

I have to admit I bottled it completely. Normally I'm a great believer in the idea that if they are old enough to ask then they are old enough to know the answer. Questions are always answered simply but honestly. Today though I chickened out and just said "I'll tell you later"

Work In Progress

2011-06-08T11:16:00.000+01:00

I've only a quick up date this week as I've mainly been working on the Roses Are Red and the Hitchhiker. The Hitchhiker kinda looks the same only longer and the Roses Are Red looks like this

I'm just about to start the next lace bit so it's waiting for a nice peaceful afternoon so I can concentrate on it. Though it's not particularly complicated to knit I do need to keep track of where I am on the row so the less interruptions the better.

I'm sure other folk have more to show than I do this week so head on over to Tami's Blog and follow the links.

Seven On Sunday On Monday

2011-06-06T10:53:00.000+01:00

Well I ran out of day and energy yesterday so my Seven On Sunday didn't happen instead her are my Seven On Sunday On Monday.

My goodness it's June already, I can't believe we are nearly half-way through the year. Seven good things in my life for this week are

1) Half term and all of us together for lots of family time.

2) Half term meaning that Mr Miffy did the vacuuming for me. You cannot believe just how much I hate vacuuming so having Mr Miffy do it is a real treat. To be fair he does more than his share in the holidays and in term time he works so many hours that's it's simply not on to expect him to do housework when I am not going out to work at all.

3) Coffee out with a very good friend. And lunch too! Our regular Knit and Knatter home is closed at the moment so there's been no evening meetings and as Mr Miffy was home to have the kids I took the opportunity to meet a friend for lunch, coffee and knitting. A very relaxing and peaceful afternoon was had. Roll on the summer holidays so we can do it again.

4) Going to the park with the kids, their friends and my friend. My friend and I try to get together at half terms and holidays so the kids can spend some time with each other. L and I manage coffee on a fairly regular basis but as the kids go to different schools they don't get to see each other as often as they'd like. We had a lovely morning with the kids playing in the park and L and I sitting chatting.

5) Fun with Lego. This amazing tower was started by the kids whilst I was out for my afternoon knitting and very soon Mr Miffy was helping out. When I got home it was taller than Middle and the builders had quit for the day. The next day Middle, Mr Miffy and I went back to work hunting down suitable pieces and putting the final part of the tower on top which was pretty tricky itself. Still we were all very impressed with our tower and ourselves. It was a very wobbly creation but despite this it stayed upright for the afternoon and overnight before Mr Miffy knocked it down.

6) Sitting in the garden with friends. Some friends had a bit of a get together this week which involved letting the kids run wild in a huge garden while we drank tea and ate cake whilst occasionally intervening to maintain some vague kind of order. The boys and I had a lovely afternoon and I even caught the sun a little :) Then last night we were invited out to other friends for a BBQ which again involved food and sitting in the garden. Very relaxing indeed.

7)Yarn shopping. Well what can I say, you can't beat a bit of yarn shopping and I've been after some of this yarn for a good while now so while I had some spare pennies I thought I would treat myself. I've got a couple of ideas as to what it will turn into. Definitely something for me possibly a Centrique. I think whatever it becomes it will be knit as part of my Year of Projects so watch this space. I'll show you pics and let you know what it is when it arrives.

Work In Progress Wednesday.

2011-06-01T19:43:00.000+01:00

I am pleased to be able to bring you a new project today. And about time too as this is a project with a deadline. I'm pretty happy with it so far. The pattern is Roses Are Red and it's a nice simple lace pattern.

Please excuse the orange life lines, just because the pattern is a simple one does not mean that I cannot muck it up.

And just to keep you up to date here is my Hitchhiker. Still a lovely TV knit.

To see other work in progress head over to Tami's blog and follow the links you find there.

Seven On Sunday

2011-05-29T21:19:00.000+01:00

We've been rather busy this weekend so I'm a bit late posting this but hey, that's life and here are my Seven On Sunday.

1) First up has got to be "It's half term next week!!!" This means an easy weekend for us all followed by lots of family time over the next week.

2) In other news I managed to go out for coffee twice on Monday. Rather naughty I know but it just kinda fell that way. We also went to visit the new Lakeland on Monday morning. I do love Lakeland but until now it's been a bit of a luxury because I've had to order online and pay the postage. It was lovely to be able to go and see the stuff in real life and buy without having to add on postage.

3) I really, really love my winter coat. And this is a good thing cos it's been back out this week as it's been so cold and horrid. I had a new coat for last winter as having lost quite alot of weight my old coat (which was getting on in life anyway) needed replacing and I found a fab Joe Browns coat which I fell in love with. When you wear something everyday you get used to it but having not worn it for a few weeks I discovered all over again just how much I do love it. Saying that though I won't be at all sorry when the wind drops and the warmer weather comes back to us.

4) Cuddles from my kids. They've all been quite cuddly this week and it's lovely to get a quick hug now and again.

5) We've named the bearded dragon now. After some family discussion I lost out and his new name is Spike. Spike is settling in well and has even been out of the viv a couple of times to sit on my knee. He great fun to watch and his personality is really starting to show.

6) Still on the subject of Spike we went yesterday morning to fetch him some more live food. He thoroughly enjoys his locusts so we got plenty of those and have set them up in a tank on top of the viv. Mr Miffy and I had lots of fun watching them demolish their cabbage yesterday afternoon. It is amazing how fast they can get through it and you can understand just how devastating a plague of locusts must be.

7) Our pond now has some proper pond life in it. Mr Miffy brought home a tank on Friday with some tadpole in a a couple of inches of water from the pond where he works. I can't believe I never thought to get some pond water from someone before it's the most obvious way to get our pond up and running. There are now all sorts of bugs and creatures living in our pond. We also took the opportunity to move a few more of the stones around to create a wider swimming space for the new inhabitants.

Year of Projects Plans

2011-05-27T11:11:00.000+01:00

There is a group on Ravelry who have begun a Blogging project called "A Year Of Projects". It's kind of a spin off from the Blog Hub group and now of course has it's own Rav Group - Come Blog-a-long go have a look see.

I really liked the idea of having some more structure to my knitting plans and this project is the perfect way to acheive that and to be able to have lots of fun in the process.

We officially start linked regular blogging on the 1st July so I really need to have sorted my list before then. The idea is to challenge ourselves on a personal level, some people are working through a book of patterns, other through their Rav queue (mine is too scary to do that) and other are just creating a list of patterns.

I've been mulling over some ideas and have decided that I really need to get some of these ideas written down before they are squashed out of my overcrowded brain by all the other stuff I need to remember to do. Some of my knitting is going to be for me but some will be presents for folk for birthdays and Yule etc.

There will of course need to be socks. There can never be enough socks. Bean needs a bedtime pair so I think I'll put them down. I don't really need new socks but then again you can never really have enough so I think a plain pair and a patterned pair for me will be good.

I'm going to hold off on my vest top and put that on the list. Good motivation to get it sorted I hope.

Middle looks at my hotwater bottle with undisguised longing and I've found him cuddling it (cold) on a few occasions when he's kipped in my bed so I think I may get him one for Christmas and knit it a cover. And of course whatever Middle has Bean wants so that will necessitate my knitting one for him. I'm hoping (I haven't looked yet) to be able to find a pattern that requires fairly chunky yarn so these can be quite quick knits.

I'm planning another Hitchhiker scarf which will be for my sister for Christmas. Again this is a nice simple pattern so good for knitting groups.

And I think a more detailed (read "lace") scarf for me is in the offing.

I got some pure wool a while back which will be fab for felting so I may make another Infinity Bag with that which I will probably give to my Mum as part of her Christmas Box.

I want a fair bit of what I knit to be from stash as I could do with working through some of what I already have but there is a years knitting here to go at so I think some new yarn may find it's way into the house somehow.

Work In Progress Wednesday

2011-05-25T11:12:00.000+01:00

Wednesday again already and I have some progress shots for you.

First up is the Ten Point 5 blanket. I spent a couple of nights on it since I showed it last week so blogging it has worked so far.

My other current project, my Hitchhiker scarf, is going well too.

However this does means that I haven't cast on for a shawl I need to make before the end of term Methinks that will be featuring in the WIP post next week.

To see other peoples work and the progress they are making go visit Tami's blog and follow the links.

Seven On Sunday

2011-05-22T21:23:00.000+01:00

I'm somewhat later to this today than I meant to be but we've had a busy weekend and I've pretty much only just sat down.

Anyway here are my Seven On Sunday. Seven reasons to feel good about life and to remember how blessed we are.

1) My first this week occurred to me when I was watching the kids play in the garden whilst I was washing up. There are some pretty big bald patches in the grass under the swings. I think they rather annoy Mr Miffy but when I see them I just remember how much fun the kids are having outdoors this spring. It's fab to see them enjoying the garden so much and getting so much fresh air and fun.

2) Next up is my nearly empty bird feeder and the visiting Blue Tit that I saw from the bedroom window this week.We've never had much luck with feeders in the garden before. I think now that our beloved Felix cat must have been the birder of our cat family. We sadly lost her last November but since then there have been alot less presents of birds left by the back door and alot more live birds hopping about the garden.

3) Still with the garden theme I am very pleased to tell you that we have our first frogs in the pond. Much sooner than Mr Miffy and I expected too. One is a fair size (that's the one in the photo) and the other is just a little one. We've moved a few of the cobbles in the pond about to make a bigger space. The kids are very excited about the frogs and have been very sensible (so far) with the pond. The water is still very shallow but it means they can get a better view of the frogs.

4) We have gained some new family members this weekend too. First up are the stick insects. There are 6 at the moment though more may follow. They are living in the boys room and are kind of belonging to Middle who has been patiently waiting for them for several weeks. I have no illusions though I know that the cleaning out will fall to me for the time being at least.

5) Middle wasn't the only member of the family to get a new pet this weekend. I finally got my Bearded Dragon. I've been waiting to get one for a few years now. Mainly because we want Bean to be old enough to understand how to be gentle with one. Someone Mr Miffy knows was needing to re home theirs so we went along to see him and unsurprisingly came home with him. He is now settled into his new home and right now is dozing. He's not been handled too much of late but he seems fairly happy with us so we are hoping that he'll soon be out and about with the family and will be able to be held by us all.

6) It's been a busy week here at the Miffy house. I've walked into town every morning to get the Lego toys being given away by one of the national newspapers. Not a paper I would ever normally by but it was a great way to get some new Lego for the boys and they have been very excited by it all and also very appreciative, especially Middle, which makes the effort involved more than worthwhile.

7) My last good thing is actually probably the best though it is also the simplest. Eldest was pretty poorly over last week end and the beginning of this week. She's not often ill and when she is it tends to hit her hard so she was pretty out of it and felt very sorry for herself. It was nothing serious just a virus but I was still very happy to watch her getting better and to see her back to her normal self.

So there you are. Seven positive things to help me remember how blessed we are in our lives.

FO Friday - Yay the Shawl is Finished.

2011-05-20T11:13:00.001+01:00

I am very pleased to have a Finished Object to share this week. And here it is.

My Shawl of My Own Invention.

The pattern is one I made up myself and I am very pleased with the results even though it is a very, very simple design.

It uses Lang Yarns Jawoll Magic I love this yarn and have used it before. This skien was a gift and I've not got the label so I'm afraid I can't tell you the colourway. Sorry. As it was a gift and as I love the colourway I wanted to use as much of it as I could. It goes along way so I was able to get a good sized shawl. I only have about 7g left.

I think I may knit another of these shawls at some point.

To see other folks wonderful finished objects go visit Tami's Blog and follow the links.

WIP Wednesday With a New Project and an Old One

2011-05-18T10:56:00.000+01:00

Here we are back around to Wednesday already. I have something new to show you first. My Hitchhiker. So far I am really enjoying the knitting. It's a nice simple pattern and so will be a good one for taking to my knitting groups and for knitting in the day when the kids are around.

My second offering is my Ten Point 5 blanket. It's been on the needles for a while now and though I've always viewed it as a long term project I would like progress to be a little faster than it currently is. So I've dragged it out, photo'd it in it's present state and, for the moment, I'm thinking of coming back to it every month or so hopefully with some progress to show.

You can tell just how long term a project it is as I knit a project bag for it before I even cast it on.

And in case you were wondering about the Shawl of My Own Invention. It's here, in soak waiting for me to go block it when I've finished playing on the computer.

To check out other works in progress go visit Tami's blog and follow the links.

Seven On Sunday

2011-05-15T08:58:00.000+01:00

When I discovered the Knitting and Crochet Blog Week a while back I also found a blogging group on Ravelry which I have joined. It's very interesting to read and I've found lots of other blogs to read through it. I happily lurking earlier this week when I happened on an idea of Goodgonegirl (from Rav of course) who posts 7 Positive things each Friday. I think this is a great idea (and I'm not the only one) particularly for me at the moment and I'm hoping it will help me to focus on the good stuff in my life and not just the hard parts.

Now I was all set to post this on Friday but then Blogger had some problems in the day and by the time it came back up I was in chilled mode and really not wanting to finish sorting this post out. And then I had an idea. Instead of a Positive Seven Friday I'm going to have a Sunday Seven. Not every Sunday but hopefully most Sundays.

So here are this weeks Positive Seven

1) Our mini Guerrilla Knitting group met on Monday evening. Really it's just a few friends who get together for a drink and as we all knit we bring our knitting along for the trip.

2) We had a lovely walk home from school on Tuesday. Bean held hands with me and at the same time with either Eldest or Middle. We got lots of squeezes and hand kisses and even once had to stop for hugs too.

3) It's rained, mainly over the weekend and there was lots of it which is brilliant for the garden. I've spent the last few days watching lots of new seedlings poke their tiny heads above ground.

4) I have finally done something to start sorting my head out. It's been a very hard last few months and I've finally had to admit that I wasn't coping well and so I'm getting a bit of help.

5) I have new stash. And at bargain prices too so I was able to get twice as much as I thought I'd be able to. I went shopping at Stash in the Araucania Clearance Sale which I was directed to by Stitched-Together and another Ravely friend. My parcel arrived very quickly and I am very pleased with it. Just need to get knitting it now.

6) We treated the boys to the Lego Pirates of the Caribbean game and they were so pleased to get it they were speechless. This never happens normally and it was lovely to see their excited faces when they realised what they'd been given.

7) Eldest and I went to town Saturday morning to have a wander round the shops and of course we went for coffee and cake in Costa. I love being able to do that with her just a bit of Mama/Daughter time gives us a chance to chat and relax without the chaos of home and household jobs getting in the way.

Work In Progress Wednesday

2011-05-11T10:55:00.001+01:00

I really can't believe that it is Wednesday again already. In fact when I got up this morning and staggered downstairs to make lunch for the masses (at 7.00 in the morning 4 people seems like masses) I was genuinely surprised to find that it is indeed Wednesday. I think this sadly says more about my mental health at the moment than how fast the week is going though.

Anyway onto the knitting. I've been totally swept up in the Shawl of My Own Invention which I have been hugely enjoying. I have a picture for you but I'm afraid it's pretty similar to the previous pictures I am hopeful though that the knitting will soon be done and the shawl on the blocking boards. Probably not for this Friday but maybe for next.

If you want to see me work in progress then follow the links from Tami's blog.

Visitors to the Garden.

2011-05-09T10:00:00.002+01:00

We got some much needed rain over the weekend. It's been dry for weeks and we've been watering the pots and flower beds every couple of days which is OK but we don't water the grass and that was starting to look rather dry and certainly not very green.

Yesterday afternoon the world dried out again and the sun came back out and you could virtually watch the grass growing. I'm hoping that I'm going to see lots of seedlings coming through in the next couple of days now they've had a good drink.

Or course the grass and flowers haven't been the only things to enjoy the rain. Middle and Bean were fasinated with this snail and spent quite sometime encouraging him to slide onto their stick. Normally I chuck snails into the composte bin in an effort to keep them away from my plants but I let this one just crawl away on his own.

Of course the snails haven't been the only visitors to our garden. Mr Miffy and I spotted these littlies one evening last week. At this size I can cope with spiders quite well it's when they get bigger I tend to run away.

I took Bean outside to see them the next afternoon he was very impressed by the tiny spiders but less keen when they started casting their webs to get carried away on the breeze.

This Weeks Progress aka WIP Wednesday.

2011-05-04T20:44:00.000+01:00

I've been really pleased with the progress of the Shawl of My Own Invention I'm loving the way the colours are coming out. The bright green is seriously bright! I'm sorted too with the pattern now so I think this will just be a case of knitting away until it is done. Saying that though each row is over 200 stitches at this point so, as I'm not the fastest knitter, it takes a while to get through a row so I'm tending to only pick it up now when I've got a decent stretch of knitting time.

I've not got any pictures of progress from the Blue Bamboo (at least it's got a name now) as although I loved my swatch my swatch did not love either of the patterns I had in mind for it. I had cast on (264 stitches) and I knit 6 rows during the Royal Wedding before deciding it wasn't working out. My fabric was just too dense and was eating up the yarn and I knew I would never have enough to finish the top. So I am back to swatching again, this time on bigger needles. Fingers crossed eh?

To see other folks progress go visit Tami's Amis and follow the links.

Turning of the Season

2011-05-03T13:32:00.000+01:00

It's very nearly the end of our Easter holidays in fact Mr Miffy went back to school today. I'm missing him already, it seems a bit odd me and the kids home without him.

We've been very lucky this year, I think partly because Easter has been so late, and the weather has been fab. The kids have spent hours out in the garden just having fun and mucking about which has been lovely.

Mr Miffy and I got out in the garden again this last weekend and so there are now tubs planted up with lettuce, radish and carrots. The mini plot in the front garden has been planted up with beetroot.

Eldest and I also put some nastertians in her flower garden so grow around her willow tepees.

I love this time of year the garden is really waking up now as the new seasons comes alive. I feel myself becoming more alive too.

I love lots of things about the winter those long afternoons curled up with a blanket knitting. Walks in the snow. The fact that I don't feel guilty for putting my PJ's on at 6.30 in the evening and settling down for the night. A hot water bottle every night and my big heavy duvet on the bed.

However for all that there comes a point where I really need for it to stop raining and brighten up. For the garden to dry out so I can hang washing on the line without needing to put my wellies on first. For the flowers to bloom and the green to return. For the smell of fresh cut grass and spring flowers. For me to be able to leave the house without layers of jumpers and coats and gloves.

So here I am welcoming the turning of the year and looking forward to the coming summer and even more warmth yet I know by September I'll be longing for the nights to draw in so I can go back to my winter hibernation.

WIP Wednesday - Show and Tell

2011-04-27T12:34:00.001+01:00

Well there is progress to show you with the Shawl of My Own Invention. Not as much as there could have been as I frogged back all I had done before and started over. My first effort wasn't quite working for me so I had a bit of a re-think and started over. I'm much happier with how it is going now.

My second piece of show and tell for this week is a swatch. I don't normally swatch but as I'm hoping that this yarn will turn into a top I will want to wear I thought I had better make the effort this time. I am really loving the fabric this yarn is producing so I'm hoping that this top turns out well.

To check up on other peoples progress this week go visit Tami's Amis and follow the links.

Woodland Walks

2011-04-27T12:23:00.000+01:00

Well we've been making the most of the weather again this week. It seems to be on the turn so we wanted to make sure we got out and about while it was still sunny, Plus the Bluebells are out in full bloom at the moment and there are a couple of local places where they can be found.

We met up with some friends and went to Burbage Common on Monday the scent of the flowers was amazing and we had a lovely time wandering around the woods. Ond advantage to it being so dry for so long is that we could wander off the main paths through the woods without our friends little one struggling in the mud.

On Tuesday we went over to Market Bosworth Park another of our favourite walks to feed the ducks and wander round the woods there. You can see how much the weather has cooled by how many extra layers everyone has on in these pics.

Egg Hunting

2011-04-24T17:17:00.000+01:00

Well I thought I would share a few pics from our annual Easter Egg Hunt.

This year has been especially fun as the weather has been good enough for us to have the hunt outside.

Mr Miffy and I with help from the Easter Bunny hid various eggs

and other presents

around the garden

and then we let the kids loose.

They've had great fun hunting their chocolate (I think Middle is almost as excited by Easter as he is by Christmas)

and of course eating it.

Before I go here is a special mention for Eldest's Easter Duck named Lady Duck who she made at her last Guides meeting before the holidays. Sadly for Lady Duck she didn't make it to Easter Sunday.

Hope you have all had a good day anyone else get lots of chocolate?

Bright and Sunny Work In Progress Wednesday

2011-04-20T13:09:00.000+01:00

Well now Middle's bedtime socks are finished I've been able to go back to my Age of Brass and Steam shawl relatively guilt free. I say relatively cos I owe Eldest a knitted elephant (from back when I first started knitting) which I really should find a pattern for and make a start on. See now I have mentioned it here it should motivate me to get a move on with it. I did think I had found a pattern but the crochet ears are putting me off. I am clueless about crochet and therefore uber impressed by anyone who has mastered it.

Anyway I digress, I am here to share new pics of the rather bright Age of Brass. I am loving the Crazy Zauberabll, the shawl is almost finished and I am still to find the end of the colour repeat. I thought I had got there on Monday night but now a flash of the blue has appeared and I have realised that the colour repeat has still not occurred.

There is only about 38g left on the ball now so I have taken to weighing it every couple of rows so I can be sure that I don't run out before I have finished the final section. Because of using sock yarn not DK I've been able to add a full extra repeat and then a smaller repeat which is the bit I am working on now.

I have also started work on A Shawl of my Own Invention. This is a pattern of my own which I've been mulling over for a few weeks and finally decided to make a start on. I'm using a ball of Jarwoll which was gifted to me and which I wanted to do something for me with.

It's going to be very simple and I am quite sure that when I've finished it I will find that someone else already wrote the pattern ages ago and if I'd only searched better I would have saved myself the trouble of thinking it up myself.

To check out other peoples Works In Progress go visit Tami's Amis and follow the links you find there. There is some really brilliant stuff to see.

More Pondering.

2011-04-19T14:38:00.000+01:00

Well Friday afternoon brought us to the end of the spring term. Hurrah, two weeks off!

We decided to get stuck in with our "garden pond" project as the weather has been gorgeous so Saturday saw us off to the garden centre to get some cobbles to go over the bricks.

Before putting the cobbles in however we got all the bricks back out so that we could create some bigger spaces at the bottom of the pond for our wildlife (I'm sure something will move in) to live in.

We've made a nice space at the bottom and then made sure that there are several access points for the creatures.

Next we arranged the cobbles and pebbles on top and then we decided that we needed some more. I'm sure you would agree with us there.

So Sunday morning we were back to the garden centre for more cobbles and for some pond plants. We've filled the pond with the contents of the rain barrell so we weren't too worried about letting the water stand for a while before planting. Fingers crossed the plants won't be worried either.

They look pretty happy so far. They are all plants for shallow ponds and I'm hoping they'll spread a bit and if they get as tall as their labels suggest they can they make quite an impression.

I also got some gone over bulbs at a bargain price so they have gone in the heap too and while they won't last long this year hopefully they will come up next year and we'll have lots of bright yellows to welcome in the Spring.

Do you like the beginings of our of wicker thing? We were gifted the willow last summer and it's sat about waiting for us to work out what to do with it. Mr Miffy had a moment of insperation and got creative. Most of our willow is too dry to weave in now but we shall be able to get more in a couple of months so we'll weave some more in then and the pond corner will get a bit more shade then.

Now we just need to sit back and let the pond do it's thing.

Still there's plenty more to do in the garden over the next few weeks, the baskets need to be done and what veggies we do will need buying and planting up too.

Is It Bedtime Yet?

2011-04-15T17:23:00.000+01:00

Well for a moment last night I thought I wasn't going to get these done.

Mr Miffy brought home some cutting out that needed to be done so I spent a merry hour cutting out the sides of pyramid. I should explain that Mr Miffy is a primary school teacher and as some of you will know a teachers work is never done, even when his home help joins in with the resources prep.

However with a concerted effort (read "I turned off the computer so I could not be distracted by Ravelry") I managed to get the toe decreases done. This morning I grafted the toe and right now Middle is wearing his new bed socks.

If you want to read more about the socks then check out my WIP Wednesday post. If you want to read about some more Finished Objects then head over to Tami's Amis and see what other folk have posted.

Time For Bed

2011-04-13T10:08:00.002+01:00

Middle Sock 01
Originally uploaded by Miffy's Knitting
When I first started knitting I made a pair of bed socks for Middle. He wanted something knit for him although at the time I really didn't think he would wear anything I knit him in public (I was wrong there he loves his knitted hats and stole the last shawl that I made) so I went for bed socks.

I have never seen a pair of socks loved so much. He wore them and wore them all through the winter and often in the summer too.

Sadly though last Autumn one of them developed a hole which Middle didn't tell me about. This was fast followed by another hole in the other sock and then some unravelling, acctually quite alot of unravelling at which point they were handed to me with a request to mend them.

I mean't to take a picture of what he handed over, I'm fairly sure that once the unravelling started he helped it along somewhat, but of course I didn't get around to it.

However I have not gotten around to knitting him a new pair. Fortunately I had enough of the gorgous Mama Ocllo Baby Alpaca sock yarn left to make them.

I'm hopefull that if I can get a couple of evenings knitting in today and tomorrow I might have them finished for a Friday Finished Object post. You never know.

Now I've been and found Tami's site I'm going to link to her here, from Tami's site you'll be able to see what she and lots of other crafty folk are up to at the moment. Do go see there's some loverly stuff out there. :)

Pondering the Weekend Away.

2011-04-11T13:57:00.000+01:00

We've been having some glorious weather of late and for once it didn't end for the weekend so Mr Miffy and I decided to make a start on our summer project for our garden. We've been planning a pond of some sort for a number of years but small children and water do not make a great combination so it's been a future plan until now.

We had to replace the kids plastic sandpit last summer due to the top being cracked however in one of our better hoarding moments we hung on to the bottom half. Turns out such things make perfect ponds, at least for us they do.

We found the perfect place down behind the garage where the veg plot used to be and where we've let nature somewhat take it's course. There is a big mound there where we left the contents of the compost bins when we stopped using them.

The earth from where the pond has gone in has been used to bulk this mound up a bit more. We also took the opportunity to increase the size of the kids flower bed

so the grass from there has been used to cover some of the fresh earth on the mound.

As you can see we've filled the pond itself with bricks and stones which will firstly make the pond safer to the kids to be around. Although we believe they are old enough to be trusted not to paddle in the pond and not to play too near it we felt we didn't want to have an open pond and filling it would be a better option than netting it. I think a need to jiggle the bricks and stones around a bit to create some gaps under water whilst keeping the top layer.

We are planning to leave the pond to fill up with rainwater and then we'll put in some pond plants and hopefully next year some frog spawn so we can have our "own" frogs as well as the visitors we get in the summer.

Anyone else got any big, or small garden projects this year?

Spring In The Meadow

2011-04-08T14:19:00.000+01:00

Well it seems that spring is back with us this week and it is most welcome. The sun has been out and the world is drying out a little and I've been itching to get out and about again.

Also when I was hunting last week for pictures of me knitting I realised that I scarcely took any family photos last year so as well as blogging more I have decided to make a concerted effort to take alot more pictures of just everyday life as well as special occasions and knitting.

This morning I had planned to meet with a couple of friends and their kids so in honour of the sunshine we headed off to Fosse Meadows which is a local wildlife reserve albeit one I have never been to before despite having lived here for almost 9 years now.

In line with my new photographic intentions I took my camera along for the trip too so I thought I would share a pic of Bean.

WIP Wednesday

2011-04-06T20:10:00.000+01:00

Well here is my continuing effort to Blog more often in the form of my first Work In Progress Wednesday post.

This is my Age of Brass and Steam Shawl which I am knitting is a very bright Zauberball. As this is sock yarn rather than a DK I'm hoping to fit in an extra repeat.

I've been on a bit of a shawl kick since Christmas and I have to admit I am loving them. I'm sticking to fairly simple patterns at the moment but of course I do have plans for more lace in the future. I just need to get myself some semi-solid yarns first.

My Knitting Time - 2KCBWDAY7

2011-04-03T18:10:00.000+01:00

When I was thinking about this post I had a look through our photo collection thinking I might find one or two pics of me knitting in my knitting corner. There are none. In fact there are only two photo's of me knitting anywhere, both taken on holiday a couple of years ago and neither have me looking fit for publication. I suppose there are two reasons for this. Firstly I take most of the photos taken in our family. Secondly I knit alot and so me knitting isn't really very special and so it's not worth taking a pic. I did consider taking a photo of my knitting corner and my end of the sofa but to be honest it's not that exciting and it's not by any means the only place I craft.

You are just as likely to find me on the other sofa, on a chair in the conservatory now the spring is here, upstairs on my bed, in the car while Mr Miffy is driving or out at a knitting group. I really don't mind where I knit. As long as I am feeling reasonably relaxed I can knit. In fact the only time I couldn't settle to knit was when my daughter was in the hospital last year. I knit when it was my night home with the boys (Mr Miffy and I took turns to stay with her) but when I was with DD I just read.

I like to be comfortable when I am knitting and to have some background noise. If everyone is home then I'll sometimes just put music on but on school afternoons when it's just me at home the TV is a must. My mind thinks too much if no one else is talking and I don't like that to happen. If I'm doing something that needs concentration then I'll put on something I've seen before, often so many times that I virtually know the script. That way I don't have to worry about missing any plot developments if I get caught up in my knitting and I know that there won't be any shocks in the film or programme to make me loose my place in my knitting. I also like to have the computer on too so I can stop and nose around online every so often.

I always have a simple project on the needles for TV I've not seen before and to take to knitting group. There is nothing I hate more than knitting an chatting for an hour or three at the pub and then finding that all the knitting needs undoing cos I was concentrating more of the talking than the pattern.

I've put in some work in progress pics of old projects cos I really don't like to have a photo-less post and as there are none (viewable) of me knitting they were the closest I could get.

I just want to say a huge THANK YOU to Eskimimi for organising the blogging week it's really motivated me and got me blogging again. I'm also quite impressed with myself for managing to blog everyday, I've found it to be great fun. I've also had lot of fun reading other peoples blogs. I'm kinda hoping that not only will I keep blogging myself but that I will keep finding time to see what other people are up to. And big thanks too to everyone who has stopped by to read my efforts. I hope I've not bored you too much.

Something To Aspire To - 2KCBWDAY6

2011-04-02T18:00:00.000+01:00

For a while now I have been promising myself and telling everyone else that I would like to make a "proper" garment. In other words something big to wear. A top or even a cardigan rather than my normal socks/hat/shawl projects. I even have yarn

and a pattern picked out ready.

Somehow though I always put off the casting on. I haven't even done a swatch yet. I do really, really want to knit a garment and to knit the Cowl Shell in particular. It would be gorgeous to have to wear this summer and yet I still don't cast on. And I'm not sure why. I think I have a fear of not finishing. Oh and also a fear of it all going wrong, of me spending hours and hours knitting only for it not to fit and for me to never wear it.

So here I am ready with needles, yarn and the pattern and as spring speeds by I am still not knitting. Ah well, maybe next year......

And Now For Something Completely Different - 2KCBWDAY5

2011-04-01T20:48:00.000+01:00

Or At Least Something I Have Not Done Before......

Where are they now? 2KCBWDAY4

2011-03-31T17:37:00.000+01:00

I've given quite a bit of thought to this and I've had a look back at my projects on Rav and my socks in my drawers and hats in the hat bag etc and I've discovered something I have suspected for quite a while.

My name is Miffy and I am a process knitter.

Don't get me wrong I do love my hand knits and I would hate to loose any and I'll only knit for the worthy. However having looked back over my project photos and at all my handknits there aren't any that I adore over and above any others. None that stand out and have a tale to tell. None that I wonder about their fate and where they are now.

Still just so there are some pics here are my first ever socks

And my first ever hat

And my first ever knitted item

Now the socks I could go and fetch now but the hat and the bag? I have no idea, I'm guessing they are around somewhere.........

Tidy Mind, Tidy Stitches - What Me??????? - 2KCBWDAY3

2011-03-30T11:17:00.000+01:00

If you ask poor Mr Miffy he will tell you that the one thing I am not is tidy. Not by any means. Over our years together I have learned to be a little tidier and Mr Miffy is learning (this is a work in progress) to be more tolerant of mess. This untidiness of mine of course extends into my knitting too. When I buy new yarn it will sit by my end of the sofa for a week or two untill I finaly get around to putting it somewhere that is not the middle of the front room floor.

Anyway as challenged by Eskimimi's Blog Challenge to photograph my storge here we go on a quick guided tour.

First up (top left) is my shelf on my side table. This is supposed to be where my current projects live. In fact you have caught it on a good day as I tided it out last week. Normally it's full of bits of paper with patterns on and the bags from old projects as well as my needle case and DPN roll.

Next (top right) is my downstairs cupboard. Officially this houses WIP's that are hibernating and my needles, stitch markers etc. It also contains my left over sock yarn and a small loom that Mr Miffy brought me once.

Bottom right is the bottom of my wardrobe where yarn destined to be knit up "later" is shoved.

The last two pics (bottom middle and left) are from the loft where in theory the yarn for which I don't have a project in mind is kept. In practice though this doesn't work as I have no plans yet for the orangey yarn in the wardrobe but at least 3 of the yarns in the loft have projects allocated to them already.

Will I get anymore organised? Being a realist I have to say no. I envy people who have all their stash carefully housed in boxes/shelves etc, all photographed and documented on Rav but I know in my heart I'll never get there. And why worry? My system of sorts works for me. I can mostly find what I need when I need it (though I am always short of size 4 tips) without too much trouble and my yarn is safe and dry so really I'm not stressing. Well not about that anyway.

From Here to There - 2KCBWDAY2

2011-03-29T11:21:00.000+01:00

Well here I am on day two looking back from here to where I was knitting wise a year ago.

I have to be honest and admit that I haven't learned much in the way of new skills in the last 12 months. What I have done though is grow in confidence in my knitting.

I've taken to knitting shawls this year and the lace in them no longer scares me. I am competent in the use of stitch markers and life lines, many life lines.

I'm getting quicker too. Things that a years ago would have taken a month now only take a couple of weeks which means that I am looking to knit bigger items. Shawls are bigger than socks honest ;)

I'm more relaxed about my end product. I have a better understanding of how to correct mistakes and how to adapt my knitting further on to take account of previous errors. It's nice to know that if I find a mistake some inches back I can rescue my project without necessarily having to frog back. And if I do have to frog back I can just go so far and then stop and pick the stitches back up whereas I would often have had to frog the whole project and start over.

One thing have have gotten worse at is taking photos of finished objects and works in progress. I used to be quite good at that side of things but along with not blogging on a regular basis I've stopped taking pics too. I'm hoping that along with blogging on a more regular basis I will also start taking pics more often too.

Different Strings

2011-03-28T13:48:00.000+01:00

I thought that I ought to try and get blogging again. I acctually miss doing it I just don't seem to get around to it. Hopefully the Knitting and Crochet Blog Week will give me a kick start, so here we go.

A Tale Of Two Yarns

Since I started knitting I've used lots of different yarns though it seems I do have a bit of a thing for sock yarn. It's hard to choose just two to write about.

My first is not so much a single yarn but more the type. Of course I am thinking of sock yarn or what some refer to as 4ply. From commercially produced skiens of Opal and Regia to indie dyed skiens of of the most amazing colours the range available is incrediable. And of course sock yarn is not just for socks there are patterns for scarves, shawls (my current obsession), hats, gloves, clothes, toys and more.

My second choice is a particular yarn Collinette Point 5. I adore how this goes from thick to increadibly skinny. I am using it at the moment to knit a blanket. The blanket is a long term project, but when it's done I will have the perfect heavy weight blanket for my bed.

Tour De Fleece Day 1

2010-07-03T23:14:00.000+01:00

I'm giving the Ravelry Tour de Fleece a go this year being as I've got a lovely wheel to do it with and some really gorgeous stash which I'll try and post in the next few days.

For starters I'm going to spin my February Fibre Club from Babylonglegs.

Saturdays are not the best day to try and spin on for me normally there always seems to be alot going on and today has been no exception, there was cake baking in the morning for DD's cake selling tomorrow morning and some shopping to fit in as well as badge sewing (I know I've had them ages) so DD's Brownie sash was uptodate for her sleepover tonight. Hmmm, wonder if she's asleep yet LOL.

But I got there in the end and grabbed a few minutes to start on the glittberall. So here is todays effort.

OK so there's not alot there but it is a start.

Robin Hood, Robin Hood Riding Through The Park......

2010-07-03T22:53:00.000+01:00

I took DD and DS1 to see Robin Hood in our local park last night. We took a pizza picnic and the lovely Picklesmum and her DH and DD came and joined us with their picnic. The sun stayed out and we had a fab time chillin out on the grass and watching the show. I did take the camera but didn't take any pictures in the end but you can see some pics of the show here, and yes DD and I are on some of them as are DS1's legs.

Theatre in the park is getting to be an annual event and I love it, mind we were lucky with the weather this year and last. We are very lucky to have an active group who support our park and make sure that lots of stuff is put on for the locals to enjoy.

Chillin

2010-06-20T19:47:00.000+01:00

Just thought I would share a quick pic of The Boy enjoying the recent sunshine.

Good Friends

2010-06-11T10:48:00.000+01:00

I was reminded this week of how good my friends are to me by a wee present that came in the post.

I have four of these gorgeous buttons and now need to find something to knit so I can use them.
Thanks Sarah :)

Handspun!

2010-06-01T16:52:00.002+01:00

Well I thought it was about time I posted some more knitting so here is my first handspun, as in spun by me, project.

The colourway is Babylonglegs Olivia which was a present ages ago but I just could not get on with my spindle so it's had to wait till I got a wheel to use. The black is some that Lottie gave me to practice with.

The end result isn't the most even yarn. I started on 12mm needles with 15 stitches and due to the yarn getting finer and finer I ended up with 8 mm needles and around 20 stitches! I am very pleased with the result though as I learned alot during the process about spinning, plying and making knitting stay more or less the same width and the Gorgeous Girl does love her new scarf.

Mmmmm

2010-05-29T20:26:00.000+01:00

DS1, who BTW wants me to refer to him as Ninja Boy, has been asking to make some rice crispy cakes for a few days. So I was a good Mummy thing morning and while DH was out I thought we'd have a very quicking cooking session. If you can call melting some chocolate cooking.

They are of course delicious, well they're made of Green and Blacks dark chocolate so they ought to be. The Gorgeous Girl and DH aren't too sure about them but the rest of us like them. I also made some using the dark chocolate and cherry bar that came in NB's easter egg. Very yummy indeed.

Bluebells

2010-05-25T09:59:00.001+01:00

A little later in the season than we normally aim for we managed to make it to Burbage Common last weekend to see the bluebells. Most of them were going over, they must have been amazing when they first came out but we did find some still.

And the kids had fun wandering around the woods.

Though Bean wouldn't pose with the other two for a pic.

Late Anniversary Present

2010-05-25T08:52:00.000+01:00

DH and I celebrated 10 years of marriage last year and this spring we have been given a late anniversary present.

We honeymooned in a beautiful hotel in Wales and in the grounds was a small wood with loads of horse chestnut trees so DH and I collected fallen chestnuts and took a bag of them home. The next spring some of them sprouted so we potted a couple up and now have a horse chestnut tree of our own. I sometimes worry a bit about it as I've never been too sure about leaving it in its pot but it seems to do well although it's obviously smaller than it would be if we'd planted it in the earth and till this spring it had never flowered.

This year however we have a flower, I waiting now to see if we get chestnuts......

Life is a complicated thing

2010-05-24T13:35:00.000+01:00

Just when I think things are settling down and we might get some plain sailing for a while chaos suddenly descends on us.

The Gorgeous Girl spent five days in hospital at the end of last month which wasn't anywhere in my planning! She woke in the early hours with tummy ache which didn't get any better over the day and by lunch time I knew in my heart that something was wrong so we sorted out a doctors appointment and off we went. By 6.00 pm sitters for the boys were in place and we were off to hospital. GG went down to surgery at 12:45, only a bit scary as they normally stop all surgery, bar serious emergencies, at 12.00.

We got her back, minus her appendix, at about 2.30.

We then spent 5 days in hospital, as it was a "nasty" (seriously that was the technical term they used) appendix and was leaking yucky stuff into her, so she could have a course of IV antibiotics.

GG ready for her first lot of IV antibiotics.

Back on the ward just after the op.

GG on the hospital roof.

It was a very sobering experience being in the children's wards. It's very unpleasant hearing the tiny babies and little children crying and knowing that there is little anyone can do to explain to them what is happening. I felt blessed that GG, at 9, is old enough to understand what was going on, why she couldn't eat or drink and what was about to happen to her.

DH and I took turns to stay with her at night so it was lovely to get her home so that we could all be together again.

She's recovering well and is back at school now but still has another week before she's officially allowed to gradually start back on physical activity.

It's That Time Again

2010-04-11T14:35:00.007+01:00

Where I realise that it is almost forever since I last blogged and so I try to fit all my news in one post. I think somehow despite my good intentions I will never change.

Having had a rather wet Easter holiday the weather has finally picked up and so I am sat in our conservatory relishing the sunshine and chilling out before the term time madness starts again at 7.00 am tomorrow morning.

Being able to use the conservatory is still a new treat for us. For several years now it's been the toy room for the kids but now they are growing and stairs aren't an issue so much we spent a very busy day putting the bunk beds back together and sorting the boys room before moving toys upstairs. The result being that the chairs are now back in use as chairs rather than toy storage. It's a really lovely place now to sit and knit or spin or read of just chill.

Of course there has been knitting and now spinning to show you so here are some pics.
These are my Wildflower Socks

And some I did for the Gorgeous Girl, though I can't remember the pattern name now.

And a hat I made for DH that has been kidnapped by the Gorgeous Girl.

And a Medici for me from Woolly Wormheads latest book Twisted Woolly Toppers, well worth investing in there are several hats in here I intend to make. The Medici is mine but GG is modeling for me.

And some spinning, this is from a Glitterball brought from Babylonglegs, I really enjoyed spinning it and I'm hoping that there will be enough here for me to make a hat.

New Toys

2010-02-23T10:51:00.004Z

During half term Lottie and I visited the wonderful Sarah and as well as coming away with more yarn I also brought home some fibre and something to spin it on.

Isn't it gorgeous! And with some practice I am getting the hang of her now and have managed to produce some not too terrible looking spinning.

Mind I've got to work out how to ply it next ;)

Gappy!

2010-02-23T10:44:00.004Z

DS1 has had a wobbly tooth for a few weeks now but this morning I finally persuaded him to give it a pull and out it came.

This means we can now use the beautiful box that I got him to use as a tooth box. I'd been on the lookout for a suitable container for a while and found this whilst hunting for a birthday present for my friend Sarah.

It is from Tree Gems on Folksy. I was looking for buttons (which I also got) at the time and when I saw the gift boxes I knew I had found my tooth pot. It was a fantastic service too, quick postage and beautifully wrapped. The envelope smelled gorgeous of wood :)

So here we are all ready for the Tooth Fairy to visit tonight.

Catching up again.

2010-02-23T10:32:00.004Z

There's been lots going on in the Miffy household of late and I've been slack and not made the effort to blog again so here I am with a bit of a catch up.

DH spent the first week of term in hospital and not back in work teaching and then a further two weeks at home recuperating. Bean had flu, again! He was really floored by it and I was very grateful to have DH at home so I could leave him with Daddy whilst I got stuff done.

There's been lots of knitting of course. Mainly on socks for the kids and "The Infinite Cat Basket". No photo's of the cat basket yet but once I have it finished I will blog about it, promise!

No sooner did I get everyone back to school/playgroup it was half term and they were all at home again. We had a good week. DS1 went to a football course everyday and DD did a cookery course the last 3 mornings of the week. That was very yummy indeed, she brought the recipes home with her so there are a couple that are going to be repeated at home. She is very impressed with her cooking skills as are her Dad and I. Oh and it snowed.

And then back to school yesterday hopefully with no one being ill this half term. I'm already looking forward to Easter though.

Petrol Presents

2010-01-16T08:48:00.007Z

Now both these items have been gifted I can share photos, not that I took many. Both were knit for a very good friend of mine who was so happy to get knitted presents that she wasn't bothered at all that both her Christmas present and her birthday present were late. You really can't grumble about that kind of friend. Plus it gave me a brilliant excuse to buy more yarn :)

First up is Eslica a hat by WoollyWormhead. I even did the cable bits without the cable needle thanks for the tutorial that WW wrote. I was very pleased with it and it looked fab of J when she wore it to tots on Thursday. It was knit with Babylonglegs DK Merino.

Given that J's birthday follows Christmas by about two weeks I figured the perfect present would be a scarf to go with the hat. Back to Babylonglegs again and this time PetrolHead DK sock yarn, a new base for Sarah. Its gorgeous and softened beautifully as I knit it up. Given that yarn overs aren't my favourite thing the simple pattern kept my attention whilst still allowing me to watch TV, perfect!

There has been plenty of other knitting going on but no photos yet. I was hoping to do some today but rain stops play so far, still at least apart from the remnants of Peter there isn't any snow/sludge/ice left so for once I'm not mad at it. Snow is very beautiful when it first arrives but it's no fun when it's been around for a week and is hard packed and slippy on the paths.

Housekeeping

2010-01-13T11:06:00.002Z

I belive this says alot about my housekeeping skills. I was just reading the Dye Studio Diary and scrolled down to this post at which point Bean says "Mummy's kitchen" Well thanks for that, I didn't think I was that bad.

Meet Peter

2010-01-12T10:36:00.003Z

So named by DS1.

The kids really enjoyed the snow in the end even though it did get in the way of some family stuff when it first started which they weren't too pleased about. They built Peter all on their own and I was very proud of the way they worked together. They had a great time too.

Whilst it has been very pretty the slush is making life with a pushchair hard work so I'll be glad to see the back of it now.

WoollyWormhead KAL

2009-11-30T11:54:00.003Z

I actaully managed to do the WoollyWormhead KAL with everybody else this year for which I am very impressed with myself. ;)

The hat patterns are gorgeous and I had great fun knitting them.

This is my Everglade knit in some gorgeous Babylonglegs yarn, the colourway is Toffee Apple.

And this is my Mayrose, I'm not telling what I knit it in though. LOL

Baby Knitting

2009-11-30T11:22:00.004Z

Some very good friend of ours have recently had their first child, a beautiful baby girl and so, of course, I've been able to indulge in some baby knitting. It's great fun.

Here are the results so far.

The pattern is Felix's Cardigan and there are socks to go with it.

And this set done in Babylonglegs Goblin yarn is a Baby Yoda jacket, and Elfin hat by WoollyWormhead and of course some socks.

There is a BSJ on the needles but as this is in a bigger size I've let some of my ther projects take priority for a little while.

Growing Up

2009-11-30T11:13:00.002Z

Well somehow it has been ages again since I last posted despite my good intentions. I'm blaming it on the chaos that is Birthday/Christmas season. All three kids have now had their Birthdays, there would be pictures but I've failed miserably to get DH to upload them off his camera phone. Obviously I've now given up.

I can't believe how big they are all getting. Bean is well settled at playgroup now and DS1 is really getting to grips with school this year. DD has just got back from her first Brownie Pack Holiday. She had a fantastic time and apparantly didn't miss us at all! I'm not sure how flattering that is but I am so very proud of her. I'm not so keen on the fact that I've another 5 badges to sew on her sash though!

Next up of course is Solstice and then hot on its heels Christmas. Hmmm maybe I should start wrapping some of the stuff I've already brought.

Summer Knitting

2009-10-17T07:31:00.003+01:00

Well it seems that it is an age since I posted any finished objects. Mainly because when I've had the chance to sit I've tended to knit rather than make the effort to blog. Anyway here is an update of my summer knitting.

This is the shawl I made for DH's mentor. It's not a great picture I really should have made the effort to get one of it being worn.

Here is a bit of detail though.

I made little soap in a bag gifts for the kids teachers.

These are my circle socks, again in Fyberspates yarn.

Sparkle socks made is Fyberspates sparkle yarn. These are boot socks so the sparkle will cheer me up on dull Febuary mornings when I'm off on the school run.

Still with Fyberspates yarn, I brought five balls at Woolfest to make the Infinity Bag and over the summer it finally got done. I'm really very pleased with it, it is huge and will hold my chunky blanket project nicely when I finally get it cast on.

Back to Babylonglegs yarn here are my Bumpy Bananas. Boot socks again for the winter I am really pleased with them, in part cos I pretty much put the pattern together myself.

And I love the Blue Banana yarn so much that I did these baby socks in it for a striped KAL on one of the Rav groups I'm a member of.

And here is my Baktus, the yarn was dyed by Babylonglegs for my birthday and there is a matching skien for me to make a hat from so I will have a matching set in the winter, very smart.

I think that about covers it, there are a few other bits but they havn't been photo'd yet and as they are presents for someone I will keep them secret for a bit longer.

Back in Blogland!

2009-10-03T07:22:00.004+01:00

I seem to have had a summer off blogging which although not entirely planned hasn't been a bad thing. We just spent loads of time together as a family just hanging out. After all the hard work of last year, DH's teacher training, DS1's first year at school and my running the home more or less single handedly for a lot of the time it was good to just crash out and not do much of anything.

We had some really good days out including a trip to Drayton Manor including Thomasland. There are loads of pictures here if you fancy a peek. Far too many to put on the blog. Given the weather we've had over the summer we did really well with our day out. Mind the heavens opened just as we left and by the time we had crossed the disabled cark park we were all literaly soaked to the skin. Our clothes were dripping!

DD did an art course at the local gallery which she really enjoyed, I had a good time too as I waited for her in the cafe and sat knitting and drinking coffee in peace for a couple of hours each morning.

DS1 did another football course (he does them at just about every holiday), this one was for a full week 9:00 till 3:15 every morning and he was shattered by the end of the week. He had loads of fun as ever and made his Mama proud by getting a medal for his brilliant attitude, trying hard and helping out.

We also had a week away staying in Maltb-le-Marsh as the same farm we stayed on last year. This year we had the most gorgeous cottage for the week and as the site is so nice we spent quite a bit of time just chilling out and not doing much at all. We had long walks on the beaches and a couple of trips out. Again too many photos for here (in other words I couldn't decide which ones to post) so they are here if you want to look see.

Our other highlight of the holiday has to be of course the arrival of DH's teaching certificate. He is now officially a Newly Qualified Teacher. He has a year 2 class in one of the local towns and is doing really well.

I have of course done loads of knitting over the summer so I will hopefully be back soon with pics of the finished objects.

Butterfly Farm and Stratford

2009-07-21T08:37:00.004+01:00

Our annual visit to Stratford has become rather a tradition in the Miffy Household. We start off the day with a visit to the Butterfly Farm where DH and I take loads of photo's of butterflys. As you can see.

www.flickr.com

After the farm we go into the centre of Stratford via the Foot Ferry

for lunch and a wander round the shops before my pilgrimage to Lush to stock up on smelly's.

Gorgeous Girl!

2009-07-13T22:49:00.001+01:00

Gorgeous Girl!
Originally uploaded by Miffy's Knitting

My Gorgeous Girl got the Star Of The Year award at school on the last day of term. It's given for consistent effort, good behaviour etc. I am one very proud Mama :)

End of an Era

2009-07-07T10:17:00.002+01:00

Well my last baby is a baby no longer.

Bean had his last feed on the Friday morning we left for Woolfest and that was that, he didn't ask again when I got home.

So there we are, the end of an era.

This pic is of DS1 as I don't have a nice one of Bean.

Woolfest Stash

2009-06-30T11:51:00.005+01:00

And here is my stash, I was quite restrained this year but am looking forward to getting some of the projects I've brought for cast on.

Firstly my Kindred Knitters bag stuffed full of my goodies, there is a vest top too but that's in the wash already.

next is my Fyberspates Sparkle in Blackberry (more bootsocks on the way), the colour likeness is better on the first photo but you can see the sparkle on the second.

I also got some Fyberspates BFL from the bargain basket which is destined to become a bag of one sort or another.

Then there is sock yarn from Ripples in the SAM colourway. I'd got Dropone to put this aside for me so I could have a look at it as Woolfest and it is just as gorgeous in real life as in it's picture so I had to get it.

I also got some Fortissima 6ply for bootsocks, should be a nice quick TV knitting pair as the yarn will look fab in plain stocking stitch.

Finally there is some Schoppel Wolle Zauberball, this is worth getting just for the way it is balled up! However I love the colour changes it gives too.

Do you think my sock addiction shows? ;)

Woolfest!

2009-06-30T11:19:00.004+01:00

Well I made it there! There were a few points when we thought that it was't going to happen including a last minute scare last week but DH got everything sorted and after dropping the kids at school and Bean off with the wonderful "Glow" I packed the car and headed over to Sarah's to pick her up.
We stopped off on route at the "Mushroom" services.

Looks impressive but the coffee was terrible so we won't be going back next year.

Then it was onto Woolfest itself. It was of course fantastic and it was brilliant to see so many people from last year and to see all that yarn and yarny stuff. I'll do the list of stash seperately or this will be a ridiculously long post.
Once at the site Lottie put the tent up with just a little help and then finished getting herself ready ;)

Then we sat down to chill out and chat, one of the best things about camping is that we can sit with lots of friends. It was a fab evening and just for Lottie - your tree ;)

Next morning it was back to Woolfest where we looked a sheep

and generaly relaxed and shopped. I brought more sock yarn and also some BFL for making a bag and some lace weight in a knot for DH so untangle cos he reckons that he likes doing that. And of course I got to see lots of people and chat.
Lottie tried out a couple of spinning wheels

Once we were shopped and chatted out we went back to the campsite. Then Sarah, Lottie, Nic and I went out for a meal (and very nice it was too) before settling down back at the campsite for more chatting.
Tonight Sarah was ready for the midges though

And then Sunday morning it was sadly time to pack up and go home. It was nice to get back home though and I think I had been missed

Not only did I return to a Welcome Home banner and poster but there was also tea waiting for me

and a lovely cake made by DH with a little help from DD

Looking forward to next year now :) anyone know any good campsites?

Mehndi

2009-06-30T11:12:00.003+01:00

One of DH's collegues this year turns out to be very good at Mehndi so I couldn't resist getting some done. Isn't it pretty?

I will definatly be getting more.

Rally of the Midlands

2009-06-30T10:51:00.002+01:00

Earlier this month Hinckley played host to the special stage of the Rally Of The Midlands. They ran the special stage last year at the councils car park but we couldn't go because of my working evenings. However this year as I am not working with booked Nannie to sit for DD and Bean and took DS1 down to watch some of the cars go through. We all had a fab time. It's a fairly small rally so lots of locals and and historic cars.

I'm hoping that next year we can get to some of the other local stages too.

Interior Designer Anyone?

2009-06-17T11:26:00.003+01:00

Bean spent a very happy and quiet hour working on my decor

By the time he had finished there were lolly sticks everywhere! But it did make him very happy.

Flash Floods and Hail

2009-06-17T11:22:00.002+01:00

When I came back from my Mum's on Monday afternoon I caught in the most horrid storm or so I though till I got into Burbage and discovered that I had in fact been lucky and had missed all the hail. It was inches deep on some drives, all the drains were backed up and in several places there was flooding right across the roads.

A Weekend For The Miffy's

2009-06-17T11:10:00.005+01:00

Just a couple of pics from the weekend. The weather was gorgeous (shame it couldn't have swapped with the weekend before) so we made the most of it and got out and about.

We went into town on Saturday and then called in at the Fire Station Open Day on the way home. All three kids had a go on the round about, Bean's first time on one,

and DS1 played the hero and rescued the teddies from the smoke house.

And then to round the day off we had a BBQ in the garden.

On Sunday we got the gazebos out the garage and put them up in the garden so DH could bring his work out and we all spent the day in the garden again.

We all had a really restful weekend and it was lovely to spend time all together with all the work DH has had to put in this year restful weekend have been few and far between so it is definitely worth celebrating them when they turn up.

Brilliant Day!

2009-06-07T08:08:00.014+01:00

Well what a brilliant day we had!

I overslept of course, given the serious lack of sleep in the week before that was no surprise but I was still just about ready when Lottie arrived to pick me up.

We got to the Bull Yard at about 8:15, of course it was pouring down and everything was rather wet but we battled on and unpacked the car which was stuffed full of yarn and fibre and stuff for the stall. Once Sarah arrived she organised the stall got it looking fab. Loads of bright yarn and fibre to brighten up the morning. Thankfully Sarah had brought lots of tarpaulin so we were able to create a nice cosy corner for ourselves and stay reasonably dry.

The fantastic "Babylonglegs" banner which looked brilliant!

The finished stall

and my socks on display :)

And then the knitterly folks started to arrive and pretty soon the front of the stall looked like this

And it stayed that way for the whole morning. We met so many lovely people and it was fab to talk to everyone. I'm afraid I am terribly with names so I can't tell you very many of the people I met and I have no photo's to speak of cos the only time I got to take photos was the moments when there weren't so many folk around. However the lovely Mrs Flowerpot stopped by several times and she has a photo of Sarah and I which she has very kindly let me share with you.

Sadly it rained for much of the day, sometimes very hard but that didn't seem to stop people coming and enjoying themselves and buying lots judging from all the stuffed bags that were being carried about and how many bags we passed out to people. The pigeons didn't seem to keen on the weather though!

I didn't get much time to walk round but to be honest this didn't bother me at all as I was having such a fun time with Babylonglegs. I did manage to do some shopping though.

James wandered by with some Colinette Point 5 he'd brought from Knitting 4 Fun which sent me running to get some to go with the 3 skeins I already have. I got an extra in Dusk and 4 in Velvet. These are destined to be a blanket/throw for me but I probably won't get to start it until later in the year.

I also got a skein of Sparkle from Fyberspates the colourway is Beech or possible Beach, I don't know cos there wasn't a label for my skein but either way it's a lovely colour and I'm looking forward to knitting with it. For those who haven't seen Sparkle it is rather clever sock yarn with 2% silver in it. I'm not sure the silver shows too well in the photo but it does catch the eye nicely in real life.

Nic of Nicsknots fame was there and had done some special bags for Sarah and of course this meant two of my favourite things came together, Nic's sock project bags and fabric with skulls on so I just had to have one. Isn't it great!

And naturally I couldn't come away without some Babylonglegs sock yarn. However as this is for a gift I shan't be able to post any pics yet. It is gorgeous though.

So despite the weather it was a brilliant day, I just wish we could do it all again next year, sadly Scotland is just too far away.

Proud Mummy Moment

2009-06-01T12:56:00.001+01:00

Proud Mummy Moment
Originally uploaded by Miffy's Knitting

My little man here with his football medal and certificate.

The school coach runs sessions during the holidays and he was determined to do all three days this half term. He loved every minute of it.

At the end of the three days all the kids get a certificate and a medal is given to one child in each age group. I was so proud when DS was called out. He got his medal for always trying hard :) as did the kids from the other two age groups. I especially like that it doesn't matter whether they were good just that they tried hard.

He can't wait now for the summer holiday sessions.

In Miffy's Garden

2009-05-27T13:16:00.004+01:00

Finally!

We've been trying to get out into the garden for weeks now but either the weather, other commitments or DH's workload has stopped us till last weekend. The weather was gorgeous, bit too gorgeous really as my poor sunburned back still reminds me, and we got loads done.

Bean helped DH cut the lawn.

We had a general tidy up. DH had to take a couple of trees out of the front garden. One was a willow which had self seeded there, sadly though it was too close to the house to stay there and by the time we realised just how big it would eventually get it was too late to move it so it had to be cut up to be taken out. It's left a fairly bit hole in that border so we will be tree shopping again soon. We got a small twisting willow for where we took the other tree out. This one will be OK near the house.

We also got "Betty" a rather nice magnolia for the back garden to fill another gap in the fence.

I've planted some sunflowers and sweet peas in the border by the garage and more sweet peas in a big pot on the patio. There are also drawf beans, cherry tomatoes and lettuce planted out and seeds for spring onions, beetroot, courgette, carrots and radishes so I'm getting quite a nice kitchen garden going. I'll go pick up some pots of herbs soon too, I've never had any luck growing them from seed.

In the front DH cleared out the front bed and has planted more beetroot. We grew beetroot in this bed last year and it did really well. I was amazed though how many flowers and plants had self seeded in there since we harvested last autumn.

Update

2009-05-27T11:22:00.005+01:00

Well I'm pleased to report that Bean is pretty much on the mend now. We ended up back at A&E again for more ABs but this second set seem to have worked.

Aside from that it has been life as normal for the Miffy's. I went to visit Sarah and of course came home with yarn, at least this time I have plans for it already.
This is Goblin ready for a Yoda

And this is untitled and will be used for a Ribba

We also went to Burbage Common Open Day earlier this month. The weather was gorgeous and we got to have a good look round and met some of the other visitors.

We also got to sample some rather gorgeous burgers and sausages from the farmers market.

The Important Stuff

2009-05-12T18:09:00.003+01:00

You know sometimes it's easy to loose sight of whats important in life. We've had alot on lately and I have to confess that I was starting to get a bit swamped by it all. Well this morning Bean gave us a reminder of what is important.

We spent 4 hours this morning at A&E while my poor baby got poked and prodded and little sample bags taped to places no boy should have anything taped to. When we eventually got a sample it confirmed a water infection and we came away with instructions to keep him dosed with pain killer and some antibiotics.

At some points he was in so much pain that he couldn't bear to be touched which was pretty scary. I am so thankful that in the end it is something that can be easily treated and he is already feeling better.

Lesson learned, the state of the house and my growing "things to do" list really don't matter as long as we are all healthy.

The Magic of Colour

2009-05-09T08:33:00.003+01:00

Well as I didn't managed one last week I thought I should squeeze in a knitting catch up.

First up my first attempt at colour work. I am really very pleased with them and found them suprisingly easy to do. They are done in Babylonglegs yarn of course. The pattern comes from the Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn book which I got a while back. There are several other patterns I'm going to do from the book.

I've also done a quick pair of vanilla socks for DD. These were done in Regia Bamboo Colour

There have been a couple of other things on the needles but as they are for presents I will not post pictures yet.

I'm trying to work through some of the stash I amounted next year so that I don't feel too guilty buying more at Rav Day and at Woolfest.

2009-05-03T09:40:00.005+01:00

Well here we are again, weeks between posts. I suppose in a way it's a good thing as it shows that I do have some kind of life away from this keyboard but as that life mainly consists of more knitting I'm not sure it's any better. Anyway that aside I'll give you a quick run down of life with Miffy.

The rest of the Easter hols were fab and very busy. The kids had a fantastic Egg Hunt and for once we were able to do it outside!

Do you notice the wet hair. For some reason the Easter Bunny always calls when the kids are in the bath ;)
They got loads of eggs, DD's are all gone but Bean has a little bit left and DS1 still has almost a whole egg, you just can't guzzle dark chocolate in the way you can milk.

I managed two knitting groups in the second week of the hols which was fab. I was childfree for the first one and then took the kids to the second as they were able to head for the soft play for the afternoon. The rest of the week seemed to pass in a blur and then all too soon it was back to school and the usual routine.

Last weekend we took the kids to Burbage Common for a walk round and to see the bluebells. They were looking fab.

DD had a wonderful time hunting out all the places where fairies hang out. Photos are courtesy of DH as I didn't take my camera.

I did take my camera yesterday though when we went to feed the ducks and of course there were more bluebells.

And ducklings

and ducks who Bean thought might make good friends

and a giant dragonfly who makes a useful resting place.

Busy, Busy!

2009-04-09T19:02:00.004+01:00

We've had a busy start to the Easter Holidays and have done lots of spring cleaning and clearing out so I'm still looking forward to a break! Still it's nice not to have to get up and dressed at break neck speed every morning.

We had a family day out yesterday to the Coventry Transport Museum which is currently home to the Dr Who Exhibition. We came face to face with Daleks,

Cybermen,

K9

and lots of other Dr Who characters.

On our way round the museum itself DS1 found lots of cars to add to the list of things he is going to buy when he is a grown up. He's going to need a really good job!

We also saw Thrust and Thrust 2 which has a simulator bit that W and I went on. DH stayed with the kids, who chickened out, as he's been on it before.

After the museum we found a lovely little garden just outside the entrance and had a picnic there before coming home via friends.

Today DD had an arts session at the local high school before going to a friends for the rest of the day. DS1 had a football day and DH and I bought a carpet for the stairs. Somehow I think the kids got the best deal there!

Tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday are already booked up so I think it'll be next week before my break starts ;)

Twisted Knitting and More

2009-04-03T14:38:00.002+01:00

Well I have finished my Twisted Olivia's and I am really pleased with them.

and in detail

the pattern is Cable Twist Socks by Adrian Bizilia, the yarn is by Babylonglegs and is the Olivia colourway. It's a great pattern to knit and will definatly stay in my queue.

Since finished them I have been working on my Spot Check Socks. They are my first venture into colourwork of any kind so I am taking my time with them and having fun.

I'm aiming to finished them for the end of May

I Knit Lace!!!!!!!

2009-03-30T11:26:00.004+01:00

And here it is.

I am so very pleased with it. I probably haven't blocked it enough as the eyelets aren't very open but that is fine for me as I tend to prefer texture to really open work. I'm just really happy to have finished it without getting in a total pickle. There are a couple of mistakes in it of course but nothing that I had to frog back and redo thankfully.

The pattern is Meret by Woolly Wormhead

Knitting and Yarn Catch Up

2009-03-24T14:45:00.004Z

I've been getting a bit organised on the knitting front this last week or so.

I finally got around to felting my Satchel bag. Just got to get some buckles and then stitch it together. Before and after photos here for you.

From it's corner by the sofa I have retrieved my cabled hot water bottle cover. I had missed one of the cable rows and not realised before I got to the next cable row. I spent an interested afternoon frogging back the offending section, putting the cable bit in and then re-doing the the bit I had frogged back. Once rescued finishing the cover was very quick and I am well chuffed with the finished result. It feels lovely by my feet too.

My Twisted Olivia socks are coming on well, this picture is from a few days ago, the second sock is just past the heel now.

And then there is the yarn. I am a member of the Sock-a-Month group which I really enjoy. There is a monthly prize draw and much to my surprise I won the January draw. And here is my yarn and stitch markers.

It's Precious Metals Colorway of Tinsel Toes from The Unique Sheep

And of course no update of yarn is complete without a Babylonglegs fix. This is my Blue Banana sock yarn.

Spring in the Garden

2009-03-24T14:44:00.001Z

Well spring has well and truly arrived. Isn't this beautiful...

Happy Mummy

2009-03-24T14:33:00.005Z

It was Mother's Day last Sunday so the kids got to make me stuff at school.

DD made this gorgeous card

and DS1 painted a picture of me,

apparantly there was no purple paint for my hair hence the green. The little ones also did us an assembly too.

DS1 also iced me a biscuit at school, he was so excited about it all he couldn't wait till Sunday to give me my pressie so I got given the biscuit on Saturday morning. And then he, his brother and sister ate it for me too!

2009-03-14T07:10:00.004Z

As ever it's been an age since I managed to post. First the boys had flu, really not fun, actually scary even at times. Neither of them had been that ill with cold stuff since they were tiny and had broncholitus.

Forunatly for DH and me both the boys were well enough on the Saturday for us to go on our long awaited night out. My wonderful friends Babylonglegs and Lottie arranged a night out for us, the tickets came in the post and were a wonderful suprise. Although I had a suspicion something was coming as Lottie had developed an odd interest in my post ;)

Lottie sat for the kids while DH and I joined Babylonglegs at Kirby Muxloe Golf Club (very posh) to watch the band her Hubby is in, Weird Fish. We had a fantastic time. DH agreed to let me drive so he could have a drink and he even danced! He never dances!

I cannot that you guys enough we had such a good night.

The other big Miffy Family news is that Bean has moved into a bed. Here he is fast asleep on his first night in his bed. For the first time in over 5 years we have taken the cot down. The Miffy Family is growing up!

The week after was my turn to be ill so another week spent curled up on the sofa. Still it does mean that lots of knitting gets done so here are some pics and waffle about knitting stuff.

This month DH's Mum had her 60th birthday and we gave her a shawl that I knit with for Alpaca/Silk that I got from the Natural Dye Studio at Woolfest last year specially for this present. I have loads left so am wondering what else I can make with it but here is the finished item.

Despite a tricky pooling moment which resulted in my tinking back 20 rows (now theres devotion for you) the Still Waters Socks are finished and, if I do say so myself, are beautiful.

Next up was a pair of baby socks. These were for a Spring KAL on Rav, I had just finished a grown up pair in this yarn but it was the most spring like that I had so I used the leftovers to do a quick baby pair. Any boy were they quick, I've never knit a pair so fast in my life :)

And finally my current project "Twisted Olivia" using the Babylonglegs yarn that Lottie gave me for Christmas and the Cable Twist pattern. They look fab so far and are proving a very quick knit.

DD is eyeing up the yarn so if theres enough left I may do her a pair when mine are done.

Spring Has Arrived!

2009-02-21T19:15:00.004Z

I know that technically the Spring Equinox isn't until March but here in the Miffy Household spring can definitely be felt.

The weather has been pretty good all week but the last few days have been really, really good. We got out in the garden first thing this morning in the sunshine for a good tidy up. All last years dead stuff has been cleared out, the flower bed has been dug over, with help from the kids.

DS1 kept himself busy raking leaves together

and DH put the last bit of fencing in so we can now release the Bean without fear of him poking next doors dog with a stick or shoving too many of his toys through for said dog to eat.

I'm looking forward now to getting all the seeds out and looking at what we can start planting up ready for later in the year.

Catching Up Again!!!

2009-02-20T09:35:00.008Z

I keep finding myself meaning to write a post and then not getting around to it so yet again we have a bit of a catch up post.

I realise that I haven't posted at all about the snow! So to put that right here are some pics.

It was a very snowy week to say the least. The kids had three days off school. DH was in school everyday but then had the Friday at home when the kids were back in school. I have to admit though that by the snow finally disappeared I was glad to see the back of it. It doesn't melt too fast on our street but just gets compacted and very slippery, not much fun for small children and pushchairs!

Other than dealing with the snow its been life as normal for the Miffy household so not much to tell at all.

I've had a lovely half term, Sarah's on Monday to meet up with all the girls which was fab. DH had all three kids at home so I had that rare thing of a child free day. Borders knitting group in the evening topped the day off perfectly.

Tuesday a friend and I took out kids out to a local country park to play, nice to get some fresh air and following all the cold and damp the weather was gorgeous.

Wednesday DS1 went to his first football session, he did two mornings this week and thoroughly enjoyed himself, learning lots of new stuff and getting very muddy. I meant to get a pic of him but didn't manage it.

In the afternoon I took Bean and DD to knitting group, the kids had a lovely time and I enjoyed being able to sit and chat and knit. I've not made it to this group before as the timing doesn't work well with Bean's normal nap time and school pick up but I will hopefully get to go again in the Easter hols.

January Knitting

2009-02-07T08:16:00.005Z

A bit late I know but I've somehow just not gotten round to it till now. However here we are - things I knit in January

First up are my toe ups, I am very pleased with them and will probably do more toe up socks maybe even with a pattern ;) Babylonglegs yarn in the Ragdoll colourway.

Next up is my Sideway Bobble Hat which is a Woolly Wormhead pattern and was great fun to knit. It's been done in some alpaca that Babylonglegs dyed for me and will shortly be heading off to the Mirasol School as part of a Rav organised donation. I'm thinking about doing another one for DS though as it really does suit him, different colours though.

Finally I have recieved a fantastic bag of yarn from someone on the UKarma rav group, it's Freedom Spirit which Civilknit had frogged from a failed jumper. Bless her she had wound it all into cakes for me, not only was there the one in this pic but also some even smaller ones which I had already knit up by the time I got round to photos. DH has been calling them Tribbles as they were getting everywhere at one point.

I'm making Satchel form Knitty.com and am quite enjoying it as it knits up fairly quickly. It's come on a fair bit from this photo

I'm on the flap now and then it's just the pockets and the straps.

Busy Bean

2009-02-03T16:43:00.001Z

Busy Bean
Originally uploaded by Miffy's Knitting

I don't know how he has the nerve to look so cute when he's been so naughty again.

He can reach the nappy drawers from his cot now and takes great delight in emptying them when he doesn't want to go to sleep.

I really dread him deciding he's ready for a proper bed.

Happy Imbolc

2009-02-02T12:33:00.001Z

Awakening

Buds, as pale green lunar moths

Land overnight on the naked birches

And comes the warm Spring light

They will unfurl their sticky, verdant wings

And shed Winter's dark shell

by Silver Dragon.

Invitation to The Fourth Annual Brigid in the Blogosphere Poetry Slam

2009-01-26T12:41:00.004Z

Feel free to copy the following to your blog and spread the word. Let poetry bless the blogosphere once again!

WHAT: A Bloggers (Silent) Poetry Reading

WHEN: Anytime February 2, 2009

WHERE: Your blog

WHY: To celebrate the Feast of Brigid, aka Groundhog Day

HOW: Select a poem you like - by a favorite poet or one of your own - to post February 2nd.

RSVP: If you plan to publish, feel free to leave a comment and link on this post. Last year when the call went out there was more poetry in cyberspace than I could keep track of. So, link to whoever you hear about this from and a mighty web of poetry will be spun. Feel free to pass this invitation on to any and all bloggers.

And that's all there is to it. Many thanks to Ambermoggie whose blog post reminded me that this was coming up. This will be the first year I've joined in (providing I get time to post) but I did enjoy reading the posts last year.

Cables!!!

2009-01-17T08:39:00.001Z

Cables!!!
Originally uploaded by Miffy's Knitting

The colours aren't quite right on this photo but you can see my cables!

I have never done them before so I am very pleased with them so far.

Back to normal

2009-01-17T08:33:00.004Z

It's been fairly normal here in the Miffy household. The kids are back at school so my house is my own again which is good.

DH has started in his second school placement which has gone OK so far. He's passed his midway assessment which is a big relief all round.

Apart from that not much has been happening. I've done some cables which you can see in the other post and have been working on my Toe Up socks. The first one is done

and I'm on the heel of the second one so I'm hoping to have it done very soon. The casting on was still like knitting with a hedgehog though ;)

One thing I have done is to get all my sock yarn out and though there isn't a mad amount there is quite alot.

I want to get a fair bit of the hand dyed stuff knit up so that I can buy more at Woolfest. I think I have sorted a sitter for Bean for the Friday so all is looking good so far. Am keeping my fingers crossed though.

And while I'm here....

2009-01-06T11:21:00.002Z

.... I though I'd update with some knitting progress.

First up is my Twin Rib sock, the colourway is Babylonglegs Still Waters, sorry I can't remember the exact yarn type but I am loving it. They are going to be very warm.

The other pair on the needles are my first effort at a toe up. The pattern is Widdershins from Knitty and the yarn is merino/bamboo in the Ragdoll colourway, again by Babylonglegs. I have to admit that I am very proud of my toe but not so confident that I didn't put a life line in before starting the gusset increases.

I'm really enjoying the toe up pattern though I did wonder what I had let myself in for when I started. I felt like I was knitting holding a hedgehog. Normally I only use 4 DPNs but to cast on and do the first increases I needed to use 5 which only added to the fun. Still it turned out OK and not as hard as I though it would. Wish me luck with the heel though.

I'm also enjoying my new camera. Its much easier to get a decent picture and I'm looking forward to getting some good pics of finished objects. I'm going to get some coloured card I think to take pictures against. I took the ragdoll sock pic against our yellow beanbag and its come out really well but I don't have much else that I can use for backgrounds so I thought a few bits of card would do the job. Hopefully when it dries out a bit I can get into the garden and get some good finished object photos there. I also want to get myself a colour wheel but I'm not sure where to look for one so if anyone has any ideas I'd be thankful if you could let me know.

Snowy Day

2009-01-06T11:10:00.004Z

We got up yesterday to find the world outside white with snow.

Once we had explained to DS1 that no it wasn't Easter (I have no idea where he got that one from) we got a quick breakfast and while DH got ready for work the rest of us layered up and set off for the park.

We had a lovely time. Bean hasn't been able to play out in the snow before, he hasn't seen snow before that he could remember, and he thought it was fab.

DS1 and DD made snow angels and we had a nice walk round looking at the snow and making paw prints.

Then we came home so DS1 and DD could make snow men before retreating to the house for hot chocolate and biscuits.

There's still a fair bit of snow about today so the kids had fun on the walk to school, it freezing cold though so lots of ice too.

Years Beginning

2009-01-01T16:09:00.006Z

Well here we are in 2009.

I've just been looking at my aims (not resolutions, so I can't break them you know) for last year. I think mostly I did OK. I have been tidier though could be more so so I'll keep trying on that one and I did complete the Sock a Month not only for Jan - June but also for July - Dec, some months I even knit more than one pair!

The bit about DS1's jumper did make me laugh though!

Anyway aims for this year.

I'm going to continue with the Sock a Month blog, I enjoy it and its good motivation for working my way through my sock yarn stash. Also I enjoy having somewhere extra to show off my efforts as well as seeing what everyone else comes up with.

I'm going to try to finish DS1's jumper this year. My idea is to take it to my knitting groups so that I can work on it then. It's simple enough to do whilst talking.

Finally I've been thinking of late that my project photos leave something to be desired. My only camera has been the one on my phone and though it is a reasonably good camera it just isn't doing the colours justice. My first thought was to upgrade my phone to get a better camera. I got a good offer through the post which at first look did seem to be the answer however when we started adding in the cost of insurance it began to look a little less cost effective. DH and I talked about it and decided that as what I really want to do is improve my photos it might be better to buy a camera. So we did! I need to read up on tips etc but I am really pleased with it. Oh and I need to knit it a carry bag too! ;)

My only other aim for this year is to get knitting through my sock yarn stash so that I can justify buying more when (if) I go to Woolfest. Woolfest is mostly booked in I just need to find someone to have Bean for me and to hope that DH's university doesn't throw a last minute spanner in the works. So far the diary for that Friday is clear but you never know.....

Years End

2008-12-31T19:57:00.003Z

Well here we are, my last post of the year.

It's been a year of big changes too. I've stopped work and DH has started his teacher training amongst other things and next year will bring even more changes. Some of which I am looking forward to and others I am a little nervous about.

I've really just stopped by to wish everyone a Happy New Year and to hope that 2009 will be kind to them.

See you all next year!