Talamh

Those of you with keen eyesight may just have seen my ticker of skeins jump alarmingly by 7 this morning. There is a very good reason for this, I decided as a treat to myself to join in an impromptu KAL of Talamh, a delightful cardigan pattern available to purchase from Ravelry.
What is special about this for me is that the yarn has been dyed especially for this project in my chosen colour and is just delightful.

The colour is Crushed Blackberries and is from my favourite dyer, the wonderful Helen at Ripplescrafts.

My plan is that this yarn will not linger in my stash, but that I will knit at least 1 skein a week to finish the cardigan and I will wear it to the inaugural Edinburgh Yarn Festival on March 16th. 

Wish me luck and I will keep you all informed of my progress.

Stay safe and happy crafting

Mary

2013 - Week 1

With the first week of the year now gone I have devised myself a wee plan and I seem to be sticking to it.
My plan
Knit at least 1 hexi-puff per day
Knit 5 rows on Bill's never ending sweater of doom
Knit on whichever sock I have on the needles that takes my fancy that day.

As I say things seem to be progressing to plan. So far last week I managed 12 puffs

and finished my Christmas dragonfly socks

These were timely socks for me as earlier in the week Bill in his desire to help managed to felt one of my only pair of hand knitted socks whilst doing a washing. I cannot get too mad with him as he really tries to do things and ends up in so much pain as a result but he is determined not to give in and where possible will do a little. As for the sock, well it has been suggested to me to use it as a decoration on the tree next year.

Also this last week I have been catching up with some telly that we recorded over the festive period and found myself catching a few surprises.
1st of which was the comedian James Corden. I was left gob smacked twice, man that boy can sing. I first saw it on his own show, A League of Their Own then again when he sang with Gary Barlow on his new year special.
The 2nd was watching Rod Stewart's Christmas special from Stirling Castle, not too far from where I am. He has had voice problems but has adjusted his vocals to suit and in my opinion is ageing gracefully. And he still can sing wonderfully.
Another person ageing gracefully and looking better every year, again in my opinion, is one Mark Harmon. He will once again grace my TV screen on the much awaited return of NCIS this coming Friday night. If you know me and want to stay my friend, do not ring between 9 and 10 pm.

Once again it is time to get back to the needles .

Stay safe and happy crafting

Mary

Reflections

So here we are in 2013. Happy new year to you all.

This year I hope to try better to keep this blog current and hopefully will inspire those of you who knit already and maybe even entice some others to learn to knit.

Looking back at 2012 I know I was very sporadic with my posts. Life certainly got in the way at times and it would be safe to say that I am so glad to see the back end of the year.
Onward and upward is the only way to go from here.

However whilst I am looking back I am astounded at quite what I have achieved knitting wise in the last 12 months. Yes I know my yarn diet took a severe bashing, but hey it's insulation right!!
So what else did I do?
Well there were
10 Shawls
4 Hats
2 Adult tops
16 Pairs of socks

Hey wait a minute, 16 pairs of socks!!!! Wow I am lost for words. This time last year I had never knitted a sock in my life. Holy mackerel!
Ach well here are just some of them

Gosh when I add it all up I completed 32 projects last year. To say I am happy with that is an understatement.

So onward to this year and I have plans already. I am planning to devote this year to finishing wip's and yes knitting more socks. Of those which I knitted last year I gave quite a few away and thus I only had one pair for myself.
So I have joined an informal KAL based on the names of the full moons of the year. The first of these was on 28th Dec and is known as the winter moon amongst other things. My socks for this project are from a free pattern on Ravelry called Saucy Socks and my yarn is A Bright Winter, a 4 ply BFL yarn from my Ripples Crafts yarn club.

This is knitting up into a lovely pair of socks.
I have also set myself a personal challenge where I have picked socks whose names begin with all the letters of the alphabet and I plan to gently meander through this list as the year progresses. I am not planning to do it in order, rather I will dip in and choose a pattern which speaks to me.
If you are on Ravelry you can see my list here.

Also whilst sitting this evening another set of my creative juices started flowing and the following sped from my fingers, enjoy

A Knitters Verse

This first night of new year in our comfy wee house,

The cats they are sleeping, as is dog and my spouse.

Alone here I sit just watching TV

A biscuit or two and a wee cup of tea.

Fear not for me though I am alone

My heart sings with joy in my happy wee home,

Needles and wool a plenty are near

And for many socks I have plans this year.

Lace ones and stripes, cables and plain

New skills to be learned, new knowledge to gain.

For though here I am in my solitary state

Alone I am not, for I have something great

A passion for knitting, you may laugh and jeer

But it will see me through all of this year

In December I will have treasures to share

And memories of the joys and the care

I had putting love into every stitch

To conquer the all encompassing itch

I must pick up my needles, my pattern and yarn

I have to or else I may do some harm

The soothing rhythm of row upon row

Calms my heart as I see things grow

Onward and forward stitch by stitch

All the while taming the annoying itch

People may laugh and people may titter,

But I do not care for I am a proud KNITTER!!!

Stay safe and happy crafting

Mary

Advent Adventure - Day 2

And so the madness continues. As I knitted the second clue of the mystery scarf my imagination went into overdrive. I have my work Christmas dinner on the 20th of this month and a lovely wrap would be just the thing to keep me cosy and stylish. Now this one won't be ready by then but, wait a minute, wasn't there one last year and the year before? Why yes there was! And I have the perfect yarn. Some rummaging in stash later and out comes some Assynt by Moonlight yarn by Ripplescrafts in the adorable Carnations colour. Half an hour later and the skeins are wound and off I go with the 2010 pattern http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/advent-calendar-scarf
Here is my progress as of 6pm.

Now this does not mean that I have given up on the other one, not at all. Day 2 was fairly easy going and here is the proof

So now you must be wondering about the socks, well they are coming along too.
Here are Circle Socks http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/circle-socks which were finished this morning and just need washed and blocked.

I must admit to slightly modifying the pattern by extending the circles down the instep and using my preferred heel and toe.

All in all I would say quite a productive day so far and the night is young so goodness knows how much more will be done before bed.

Stay safe and happy crafting

Mary

That Way Madness Lies

Yes I am officially a fruit loop. As I said last week I am knitting up a storm of socks which all have a deadline of 15th Dec at the latest for postal reasons, so what does this bright and wonderful person do this morning? I succumb to the temptation of my first Advent Scarf KAL. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/advent-calender-scarf-2012
I must be insane!!!
However day 1's knitting is complete and I am somewhat happy with it.

Not too bad for a few hours work. A few hours because of course it has to have beads. And we all know they take a few extra minutes.

So back to the socks and I can report with satisfaction that I have completed 1 pair.

These cosy's are mens socks and just simple stst with my own preferred heel and toe.

There are so many beautiful sock patterns out there, but I find they are mostly for ladies and sometimes a plain sock is best for the male of the species.

Well I have to get back to the socks.

Stay safe and happy crafting

Mary

Sock Satisfaction

Earlier this year I overcame a fear, I found a solution and I took a plunge. That plunge has me hooked. Yes folks I am addicted to knitting socks. Hand knitted socks feel wonderful on your feet, and are a quick and satisfying knit.
My fear was that socks were hard to knit. Too hard for the likes of me to attempt. I have since found out that that is a load of baloney. Socks are probably one of the easiest things I have ever knitted. All it took was a bit of courage and a good simple to follow well written pattern and I was off. My first foray was using thicker yarns and needles. I must admit that I struggled so hard with the DPN's that I almost gave up, they were just too fiddly for me.
That is where the solution came in. Magic loop. It has since become my best friend. I can with a few wee adjustments knit almost any pattern I want. I have tried a few and some have definitely become a firm favourite.
The first socks I knitted were just plain stocking stitch to get into the hang of the different parts of the sock. Then I moved on to try some ribbed and finally some lacy ones.

I love the process of the sock, the cuff, leg (patterned or plain), the magical turn of the heel, the not so magical picking up of the gusset stitches, the foot and finally the toe. And voilà a sock. I have not yet succumbed to the dreaded second sock syndrome as I am still having so much fun as this next picture will prove. 

My current SIP's

As you can see I have 6 pairs on the go and I am loving each and every one. I will try to update my progress at least once a week and keep you informed of what is new in my world of sock knitting.

Stay safe and happy crafting

Mary

Cruise Ships at Cockenzie!!

Upon perusing the local weekly paper I happened upon this story Cruise Ship Vision for Cockenzie . My immediate thought was, nah it'll never happen, but reading through the story my attitude began to change. I began to be excited by the idea.

A Little Background.

My dear husband and I have been on a number of cruises in our 10 years together. For most of these wonderful holidays we have driven the long and sometimes frightening road to Southampton. We arrive at the port exhausted, feeling dirty and really not up to enjoying the first day of our holiday. Now do not get me wrong the transition through the port is totally trauma free, (unlike some airports I could mention), but it is still a long, long way to go. It can take anywhere between 9 and 12 hours to do the drive, and of course you have the same when you return. Yes you may say we could fly, but see above, (DH has metal pins in his back) or we could take the train but as those of you who know us know DH lives in severe pain and driving is truly the best option as we can stop whenever and he can move about freely and for as long as he needs. 

As DH'S health has deteriorated we have all but given up on ever doing another cruise as the drive we would now deem impossible, so having a cruise terminal almost literally at the foot of our street would once again mean we could save and dream.

The Site

The site they are proposing this development on is currently a coal fired power station with a rail link from the main East Coast Line leading directly in to it. It is less than 5 minutes from the main Edinburgh - London A1 road and is about 30 mins from Edinburgh Airport.

The power station is due to close in March of next year and there is planning to replace it with a gas fired one. The power station has been here all my life as far as I know, so is lets just say over 40 years, and is  now only used as a backup facility and manned by a limited staff. The same would be true for a new one, which as the article says is becoming more remote than ever due to the current economic climate.

As far as I can see this site would be ideal for a development such as a cruise terminal. Just think of the jobs it would bring to the area, the tourists, the kudos to East Lothian of being a port of call. 

East Lothian is a gem of a county, it has scenery, what would at times seem a climate all of it's own and history in spades. What a boost this would be to the county. Yes people would still go on trips into Edinburgh etc, but some would also want to explore what it is East Lothian has to offer, and we do have some wonderful golf courses, beaches, museums, castles, market towns, need I go on? 

My Final Thoughts

Would this be a good thing for the site? Yes.

Would it be good for the county? Yes

Do I want it on my doorstep? Yes 

Do I mind increased traffic and all the people who would come along with the project? No

Do I want to see this area reborn and vibrant? Hell Yes

Scotland has no dedicated Cruise Terminal, we use freight docks or tender passengers from ship to small jetty, don't we as a people want a more positive welcoming picture of our country from the people who have chosen their cruise to include a visit to our wonderful country?

I sure as hell do.

So in conclusion I say Cruise Ships at Cockenzie, BRING IT ON!!

These are my personal views.