Here come the girls!

Lots to show and tell you about today, great excitement in the josiekitten household! We went to visit our 'girls' again today. In a month's time, when we get back from our holiday, they'll be coming to live with us. They were both rather timid to begin with, but by the time we left, Florence, who is 10 months old, was much more relaxed, and almost on the point of purring!

Elsie, who is 6 months old, was less sure of us, and was still all big-eyed and wary when we left her. Hopefully, she'll remember us when we go back next weekend. We can't wait until they're properly ours!

I followed Minniemoll's suggestion for using the Noro sock yarn and knit another sample sock for my LYS, this time knitting from both ends of the ball, knitting 2 rows from one end and then 2 from the other end. If I got a colour combination that I didn't like, I simply wound that section of yarn out! I also used a larger needle to see how the knitted fabric felt. It was much softer and less dense than on the other sock.

I also finished my Ishbel shawl. To say I am pleased with it is somewhat of an understatement! I am so chuffed with myself, it's quite ridiculous!! It's knit using some yarn that I spun from The Thylacine - a blend of 70% Blue Faced Leicester and 30% silk, and I just love how it turned out! I added beads using the crochet hook method for the last two sections of the chart, and they just finish it off perfectly. I've made it as a gift for Alexa - we shall be staying with her when we are in Munich in a couple of weeks time. It's going to be hard to say good bye to it, but I know it's going to a good home!

I had a tiny amount left over - enough for an Innocent smoothie hat and maybe a sock yarn blankie square. Belinda insisted on modelling this one, and was most put out that I hadn't added any beads to it!

The Tour de Fleece began yesterday, so I've been busy spinning. I've spun up the fibre that Kim sent me recently - it's a beautiful deep inky purple colour. I've still got to skein it, so you'll have to make do with a photo of one of the singles. I'll show you how the finished skein looks later this week.

The garden is getting into full swing now. We have eaten almost all the broad beans, and are currently enjoying peas, mangetout and cucumbers. Mr JK picked the first tomato today, so it won't be long before I'm taking handfuls to school in my lunch box. Yum! He also picked the blackcurrants yesterday, and is making blackcurrant wine out of them! They just look like little jewels, don't they?

We are enjoying a little tub of flowers in the garden. A few years ago, on a trip to Ireland, we bought a packet of Irish wild flower seeds. Mr JK found the packet kicking around the shed, and sowed them, just to see what would happen. There has been a delightful mix of pretty flowers for the past week. Poppies, cornflowers, plus many more that I recognise but am ashamed to say I don't know their names.

I'll leave you for now with a photo of a visitor to the garden - a hedgehog! We're not sure if he is residing chez josiekitten, or was just passing through. We'll keep an eye open for him this week and I'll let you know if there are any more sightings! Have a good week, and I'll see you soon! xxx