Snow! Finally!

Well the much threatened snow has at last come down and for just a little while the world outside is hushed by the new white blanket. I love how quiet it gets when it snows. Hopefully there will still be enough about for the kids to play in tomorrow morning and I may even get some more pictures.


- said Miffy

Well ......

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.