Wednesday 23 March 2016

Easter Travels


Mr JK and I are off to Germany after work tomorrow for a long weekend. My knitting is packed and Flo has gone for a little 'holiday' to her cat hotel! Hope you all have a lovely weekend and that the Easter Bunny pays you a visit!


Easter 2011 011

Sunday 20 March 2016

Time Lapse no.3


We've been in London this weekend as Mr JK was running the North London Half Marathon once again. As I have a sock deadline, I decided to use the weekend as a knitting challenge to see how much I could get done. Follow the sock's progress in the following photos.

Friday 16:37 Norwich - setting off on a drizzly afternoon.


London weekend (1)


19:42  Chigwell - poppadoms, pickles and Cobra beer at the Ghandi restaurant, before enjoying lamb rogan josh and mushroom rice.


sock 3


Saturday 08:28 Woodford Tube station - heading into London bright and early.


London weekend (3)


09:33 Borough Market - a second breakfast, caramel latte and an almond croissant, mmmmm!


sock 2


10:56 Shakespeare's Globe Theatre - imagining what it might have been like to be in the audience more than 400 years ago. I  wouldn't have been sat here, I'd have been a 'penny stinker' standing in front of the stage!


sock 5


14:09 lunchtime at Zizzi's - the chocolate pudding was so squidgy in the middle, I loved it!


sock 7


Sunday 06:55 Woodford Tube station - another early start, heading to Wembley Stadium for the start of the half marathon.


London weekend (34)


10:29 Wembley Stadium - waiting for Mr JK to cross the finish line of the North London half marathon.


London weekend (37)


13:37 Costa Coffee, Woodford - lunch and medal admiring before heading back home to Norfolk.


London weekend (40)


17:51 Norwich - back home with Flo taking up residence on Mr JK's lap!


more sock


If you look here, you can see that we are definitely creatures of habit! Have a good week! xxx

Sunday 13 March 2016

In a nutshell ...


This week, as well as finishing off my school reports (yay!), I have ...

** reached the heel flap on my Magic Loop Continental knit stripy socks! **


magic loop stripes wip


** started knitting a hat using yarn from Festiwool last year **


hat in the making wip


** bought fabric for two more Kate dresses **


fabricforKatedresses


** baked a mohnkuchen (cake mix from Dr Oetker)**


mohnkuchen (1)


** knitted past the heel flap of the 'toe' socks **


sauna socks wip


** got myself something new to read **


ClaraParkesbook


This week Mr JK has ...

** run a half marathon! **


race bling


This week Florence has ...

** gone to sleep on the kitchen chair **


Flohogsmychair(again!)


** and gone to sleep on the sofa! **


more afternoon snoozes


I hope that lots of good things have happened to you this week too. xxx

Wednesday 9 March 2016

Get voting!


The Stylecraft poll is open to select the new colours for the Special Aran and Chunky ranges. The colours have been put into pairs and you have to choose one from each pair. Here are the choices:

  Storm Blue or   Duck Egg

                                                                              Mustard (huzzah!)  or   Pistachio


Empire  or Lobelia

Citron or  Saffron

                                                                                           Pale Rose or    Claret

                                                                                                Sage  or    Grass Green


Really hard to pick a favourite from each pair. I really like both Mustard and Pistachio, and Empire and Lobelia, but only one of each pair will make the final selection. It will be interesting to see the results. If you're on Facebook, you can cast your vote here. I'm not on Facebook, but if I was, I think I'd vote for Storm Blue, Pistachio,  (I know, I can't believe I'm not voting for Mustard, but I think that Pistachio will go better with the others I've picked) Saffron, Pale Rose and Sage. I'm not sure how long the poll is open for, so don't waste any time! I'll let you know the results later in the year


Sunday 6 March 2016

Delaying tactics!


It's something I'm rather good at actually. You see, I'm meant to be writing my school reports at the moment, and suddenly, everything else seems much more interesting. Dusting? Why not! Ironing? Mmmmmm, yes please! Cleaning the bathroom? You bet! I work far better under pressure and the pressure trigger has not been pulled yet. It's close, give me a day or two and then I really will knuckle down in earnest. In the meantime, I have done a little sock knitting. We are spending the Easter weekend in Germany with Mr JK's aunt and cousin. The last time we met up, Hermi asked if I could knit him a pair of socks that he could wear with toe-post flip flops. He wanted a cotton blend yarn that matched his flip flops too! I searched high and low and eventually found a yarn that 'would do', and said yarn has sat in my stash for at least a year. Now of course (yes, the pressure trigger has been pulled for this one!) I need to get them knitted. I cast them on last Thursday evening and have got to the heel flap on the first sock. Until I get to the point of dividing for the big toe, they are easy knitting. I am not wildly excited about the yarn. All those beautiful self-patterning sock yarns and this is the only one that remotely goes with his flip flops! (I shall be mighty peeved if I find out that the flip flops have been replaced!)


Hermi's sauna socks


I promised you a photo of my Magic Loop Continental knitted sock progress too, didn't I? I am certainly no speed merchant with this way of knitting, although I think I could be a Magic Loop convert. But I love the sock yarn, so crazily bright! It's a self striping yarn from Easy Knits and is perfect for brightening up the dullest days. Sunglasses at the ready, you've been warned!


magic loop continental knit stripy socks (1)


The sewing machine has been in action again this week. I made another cushion for a friend's birthday. This time, I used a cat print fabric for the border. It's called 'Flo's Friends' so how could I resist?! I need to sew one for myself one of these days! Just look at those little kitties! They definitely are Flo's fabric chums with their yarn love!






I watched a really interesting programme on BBC iPlayer yesterday. The series is called 'Fabric of Britain' and the first programme in the series is all about knitting, 'Knitting's Golden Age'. You can find it here, it's available for another 10 days and is well worth a watch. This is what it says on the website: 

Documentary exploring how knitting rose from basic craft to the height of popular fashion in the 20th century. It's a craft that has given us scratchy jumpers, sexy bathing costumes and the infamous poodle loo cover, has sustained Britain through the hardships of war and shown a mother's love to generations of little ones. Today, knitwear has become a staple of every wardrobe thanks to a prince's golfing taste, the Beatles and 1980s breakfast television. Warm-hearted and surprising, this is the story of the people's craft, and a very British one at that.

Oh my word, what a trip down memory lane. I did smile when I saw the poodle cover. We had one! I think my Mum won it at a fete, it held a bottle of bath salts. And those picture jumpers! I loved them!

It's Mother's Day here in the UK today, so I shall leave you with a photo of my lovely Mum. She taught me to knit many, many years ago. Thanks Mum! xxx