+ 3

As I admitted I had 3 more skeins of yarn in the post. They are all here. Such gorgeousness. Now I have to decide what to knit with them. I think I have one of them sussed but not so sure on the others. Any suggestions are more than welcome.

Let me introduce you to my new stash.

1. This skein is called Mt Tinknomore. It was the skein designed for the first group I was placed in in this year's Camp Loopy adventure. It is from The Loopy Ewe Seasonings collection.

It is actually one full skein and a little skein of contrasting solid. Beautiful colours and soooo soft. This may become socks but not sure. 

2. This is Lorna's Laces Solemate in the Rocky Mountain Primrose colour. 

This was my prize for completing Camp Loopy. Yes I did it, I completed the 3 month challenge. Again I am not sure what this will become.

3. Finally this glorious skein is the Ripples Crafts Assynt Storms club October instalment. 

I am totally smitten by this yarn and I am pretty sure it will become a 28's Cousin 53 It is just too lovely to be hidden away as socks. I have knitted this scarf/shawl before and it was the pattern which immediately sprung to mind upon opening the package.

Well there you go I have now crept up to 582 skeins. I am knitting away madly trying to reduce the stash. Today I am knitting Hexi's to use up the remains of the skein from the socks I completed earlier this week.

Stay safe and happy crafting

Mary

Furuncle, What's That?

Life

I had a birthday this week. A happy day which was interrupted by a visit to the Doctor because I have been having earache for nearly a month. He looked closely in my ear and at first announced he could see nothing wrong. Then he moved the tool he was using to examine my ear and, holy moly, I just about hit the roof! The pain was excruciating!! I don't know who jumped higher, him or me. He gently looked again and he saw it, a Furuncle in in the ear canal. What's a Furuncle I hear you ask? Well its a boil, especially in the ear or nasal passage. Antibiotics have been duly prescribed and hopefully they will sort it out. 

This week I also had a problem with Paypal :( They are holding some of my pennies hostage with them blaming my bank and vice-versa. This is the first time I have ever had trouble with them, but I will try to avoid using them in future as I cannot really afford to have them tie up my pennies.

At work we had a fabulous event, Robots Live. Held on Father's Day in bright sunshine lots of fun was had by over 1000 visitors. Silly me though, guess who forgot to take her camera so you will have to check out flickr.com/photos/nationalmuseumsscotland to get an idea of the day.

Off the Needles

Last week I told you I had finished my Camp Loopy project 1. Well here she is

Loopy Damask

I am so proud of this beautiful shawl, it is so soft and such a summery colour.

On the Needles

Having one project finished and being able to share it has got me motivated to make a list here and share with you all. Hopefully, maybe madly I will aim to have at least 1 finished project to share each week. 

So here goes.

• Colour Affection
• Damask (yes another one!}
• Carreta Carreta
• Vanilla Socks
• Maia Wrap
• 7 Sisters
• Beach Street Park
• Irish Mesh Cowl
• Dragon Wings
• Diantha
• Polaris
• and a few more!!!

Oops, seems I have had a few too many oh shiny's! Time to start knitting methinks.

Stay safe and happy crafting

Mary

Flaming June

Life

I love my job! I really do. I meet some of the nicest people and it is my pleasure to help them make the most of their visit to our wee museum. If you want to come along and see for yourself where I work all the details are here!

I other news this week, hubby had a hospital appointment at Edinburgh's Royal Infirmary. We were so lucky in that we quickly found a parking space, he was seen promptly by a lovely Dr who explained why she wanted to do further tests and she organised for most of them to be done there and then. The only one she could not get done was a MRI scan on his brain, that will be organised and an appointment sent out in due course. Of course this has left me worrying, does he even have a brain? And if he does will they find it to scan it? Shush, don't let on I said that. 

Another thing odd this week was the weather. It has been glorious, warm sunny days followed for the most part by warm muggy nights. Now seeing that big shiny yellow thing in the sky is a most welcome sight, but it is tempered slightly by the high humidity we suffer. It must seem strange to some that we go nuts in this country when the temperature climbs to over 16 Degrees Celsius but with the addition of the humidity that spells hot to our pasty selves. Also this year we seem to have gone straight from Winter to Summer. Spring forgot to turn up at all. 

New to the home this week is that instead of having the TV on we have been enjoying books of an evening. A while ago I downloaded Audible for my laptop and took a 1 book a month subscription. This past few days Bill and I have been rediscovering our mutual enjoyment of the Skinner books by Quintin Jardine. These crime novels are set for the most part in and around Edinburgh and East Lothian and we both find them most enjoyable. It is lovely in the evening for both of us to just sit and relax whilst listening to the story unfold. 

Knitting

The needles have been cracking on apace this week and my Camp Loopy project No1 is complete. I just have to bath and block it. Now it is a modified version as for some reason I ran out of yarn with a fair few rows to go but I like how it turned out. No finished photos yet so you will have to make do with an in progress

The yarn I used is one of the softest I have ever worked with and I loved it. It was Skein Top Draw Sock in the Sunspots colour.

My other KAL of the socks is not moving quite so quickly but I do hope to have a progress report next week.

The only other thing I have to share is that a new resident has come to stay.

Little Loopy arrived along with a lovely skein of Lorna's-Laces Shepherd Sock in Iris Garden and my Loopy reward for reaching Cotton Club.

Knitting calls

Stay safe and happy crafting

Mary

Camp Loopy and Other Things

Life

What a week! I woke on Monday feeling like I had been run over by a bulldozer. Aches and pains in parts of my body I never knew existed. This lasted nearly 3 days then the snot and sneezing started. I felt absolutely dreadful and could have given Rudolph a run for their money in the nose department. I took the wise route and stayed well away from work to avoid spreading it around and now I am beginning to feel more normal again. Thus a quiet week has ensued here in Chez Baxter. 

A new TV show was discovered by us. Rescue Me is set in a New York fire house in the aftermath of 9/11. It is described as a Dramedy and oh boy it certainly has had us gasping out loud as well as laughing our heads off. Now I know it has been on TV for years, but our magic box only has the first 3 seasons so we will watch these and hope the others come along sometime. Another TV show we watch avidly in this house is NCIS. We both love it and were both left gasping open mouthed at the end of Friday night's episode. Oh boy, just did not see that coming. I won't spoil it by saying what happened just say that the episode was "Berlin".

Knitting 

Camp Loopy has officially begun. I mentioned last week that I would be double dipping with my Socktopus book KAL. Well here I was just before midnight with my supplies all ready to begin.

Well I waited until past the witching hour and duly cast on my socks and what do you know? 2 rounds in and I just knew the yarn was screaming at me "I don't want to be socks!" So back to the drawing board I went. I petted the yarn for a bit and came up with an idea. I have knitted 2 Damask shawls in the past but both were for gifts, this time I wanted one for me. So here is my progress after 2 days

Yup, this yarn wanted to be a shawl.

As for the socks, well yes those are on the needles too and much happier. No progress pics yet but here is the yarn I am using

Now the pattern name, Caretta Caretta, is the scientific name for the Loggerhead turtle and I think the shading in this yarn perfectly picks up the shading on a turtle shell. So I am more than happy using this for my socks.

Okay time to get back to my shawl

Stay safe and happy crafting

Mary