Sunday 19th May

Hello friends, I hope you have all had a good week. We have been blessed with some lovely weather here in East Lothian this week and on Tuesday morning hubby, the dog and I headed out for a wee stroll along the shore from Cockenzie to Port Seton. We started in a beautiful public garden where we found this stunning sundial

And this colourful mosaic art

Continuing along the shoreline we came to this beautiful wee beach

Then on to the harbour at Port Seton

Where we stopped for a coffee and to soak up the sunshine.

It was a lovely wee walk and one I am sure we will now do whenever the weather is kind.

FO's

I have two finishes for you this week.

Firstly, I finally finished the cowl for my Aunt.

Again this is the Downtown Chicago pattern I shared last week. Finishing this project means I have now knitted this 9 times. It is such a good pattern for so many different yarns and always gives a beautiful finished object. The only modifications I make are to do 12 rib rows on both sides and I use 3mm needles.

Secondly, I have finished my socks from the sock blank.

I loved knitting these fraternal socks as I just never knew how the blank would knit up. I did treat myself to a biscuit when I finished them. As you can see I have a fair bit of the blank leftover to go into my Happy Scrappy Blankie.

WIP's

I have 2 main wip's this week.

First, is this colourful granny square, which I shared the start of last week.

I did say then that I was going to do two and join them together but during the week I received a call from a receptionist at my Doctor's surgery asking if I could do some lap blankets for a local elderly day care centre. So, plan changed and this will become the first of those lap blankets.

Next, some more socks.

This pair will be for my lovely friend Marillyn who was complaining of very cold tootsies just before the beautiful sunny weather arrived. She chose the colour from the huge bag of yarn which I shared with you last week.

I have also been doing a few rows on my Still Light tunic but have no real progress to show you.

Incomings

The lovely Aoife from the Stash Knit Down group on Ravelry sent me this ball of Debbie Bliss Rialto 4ply to use for toes and cuffs when I start knitting socks for Operation Christmas Stocking 2019, along with the wee mini skein for me. 

Many thanks, Aoife.

Tour of Scottish Burghs

My two finishes this week bring us to two more Angus towns. Brechin and Forfar are both Royal Burghs. 

Off to the Frog Pond

I knitted this pair of socks in 2014 but have rarely worn them as they were just too big. I made the decision after wearing them during the week that I would rather frog them and re-knit the yarn to the right size, so when I finish this post I will be ripping them right out. I love the yarn and I am sure once the fit is right they will be a favourite pair.

In my Ears and On my Screen

This week I am listening to Jerusalem by Alan Moore, this is another huge book which I am really enjoying.

On TV we are still journeying around Italy with the Giro and last night we had a musical journey around Europe with the annual Eurovision Song Contest. Sadly the UK came last but well done to The Netherlands who scooped the win.

I think that's it for this week. Have a great week and happy crafting,

Mary

Sunday 12th May

Hello friends, firstly let me apologise for my absence for the last few weeks. I have little excuse other than I had nothing finished to share and I was feeling pretty low. Things are now looking up thanks to two doctors at my surgery. The first doctor has started a health walk once a month and on Tuesday morning I trotted along to join the group. The walk was a gentle stroll along the shore of Cockenzie and Port Seton, stopping periodically for him to talk about various aspects of mental health and new ideas for coping with some of the stresses of life. It was so interesting and I discovered hidden gems of sanctuary that I never knew existed practically on my doorstep.

Looking towards Edinburgh

Port Seton Harbour

The Secret Garden

A Love on the Rocks find in the Secret Garden

The second doctor helped me on Friday, I had a telephone consultation at 2.30 regarding my medication. I happened to mention to him that I had a very painful clicking thumb which had been bothering me for around six weeks. He was concerned about this so asked me to come along to the surgery at 4.30 for him to have a look. By 5pm I was out and had had a steroid injection at the base of my thumb for trigger finger. Our NHS takes a bashing in the press and media but this past week my local surgery has been simply outstanding for me. Tomorrow is my chance to give back a bit as I go to the community centre to give my pint of blood to help save lives.

Also this week I have been forward planning. Last year I knitted 4 pairs of socks for Operation Christmas Stocking. This is an initiative where a podiatrist and a knitter teamed up to offer a free foot treatment, pair of socks and a wee chocolate treat to the homeless in the Edinburgh area. It was such a success that it is happening again this year. Lizzie, the knitter, asked her friends to knit the socks and I think she collected about 60 pairs. I wanted to do more pairs this year so when I discovered that Wool Warehouse has a Drops sale for the month of May I blew my yarn budget and bought 18 balls of Fabel and Delight.

This will enable me to knit lots of cosy socks for the project. 

FO's

At last, I have some finishes to share with you.
This first one, a Downtown Chicago cowl, is from March and was part of my Mum's birthday package.

The second, the same pattern, was part of my step-daughters package.

Third, is a pair of perfect socks for me.

You may remember that a few months ago I discovered that my favourite fitting pair of socks was done with 52 stitches, well, I did this pair the same and they fit like a glove.

Finally, I made another crocheted baby blanket.

WIP's

I have three current WIP's which are moving along due to me changing the way I am working on my projects. I am now working 10 rounds of a sock, 1 round of a bigger knitting project and 1 round of a crochet project then repeating. It is working a treat for me as I am seeing progress and not getting stuck in a rut.

Firstly, I am turning this sock blank,

into another pair of socks for me.

Next is the cowl for my aunt, again this is the Downtown Chicago pattern.

Finally, I have another charity blanket on the hook.

I have an idea about this one that I will do two squares and join them together to make a single bed size. I will see how it goes.

Incoming

As you have seen already I had a big order of sock yarn from Wool Warehouse. Since I last wrote I have also had the May mystery Beatrix Potter box from Rosie's Moments.

Being a cat lover this Tom Kitten inspired box sang to me. Sadly I missed out on ordering the June Beatrix Potter box but I have ordered the accessories box instead. 

Scottish Burghs

Four finished projects mean four burghs for you to investigate if you choose. We are concluding our tour of Aberdeenshire with Rattray, Rosehearty and Turriff and beginning our tour round Angus with the beautiful coastal burgh of Arbroath.  

In my ears and on my screen

The book in my ears at present is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I am loving this huge tome, (62 hours) and am listening to it at every opportunity. The story is giving me a lot of pause for thought and the narrator, Scott Brick, is excellent.

On the TV hubby and I are having our yearly 3-week tour of Italy with the Giro. We love watching road cycling and as we cannot travel far anymore these races give us the chance to enjoy a holiday from home. 

I think that is all for now, until next Sunday, happy crafting

Mary