IT'S A GIVEAWAY!!!

Hey, don't go away, there's a giveaway!!!

What's in the bag?

So, what IS in the bag and what do YOU keep in yours? Read on to find out how you can win youself a lovely 'giveaway' prize. Well, this is my gorgeous knitting notions bag. You know, where I keep all those totally indispensible little odds and ends that are every knitting girl's 'must have' items. The bag itself is another of Michele's from 'Three Bags Full', that I've had for a while now. It's one of her 'tall mia' bags and is just the perfect shape and size. Do you want to see what's kept inside?

 Well here you have it!!!!

 The seaside tin is home to my stitch markers and wool needles for seaming. The little green and purple rubber rings are the perfect markers, especially for socks, as they stay smartly on the needle and don't get in the way. They aren't too expensive, which is just as well, as I regularly find them in all sorts of odd places. I have some dangly, beaded ones in the tin also, but use them much less frequently. You can also spot a lilac page marker; useful for stopping the pattern page that you are working on from turning unexpectedly.

The little white tape lives inside the tin.

I also have some special favourites that live in their own  little tins, inside the bag ;-)

The little metal ringed stitch markers are beautiful and also do their job perfectly. Don't you just love those cute little metal 'made with love 'plates' to sew inside special projects. I'll make sure I stitch one inside the wedding memories shawl that I'm making for my daughter!

Then there's this pretty litttle zip purse that always contains a couple of reels of thread and some fine needles, useful for attaching buttons or labels.

It's surprising how many different bits and bobs you need for a successful knitting experience!!!! There are cable needles, and stitch holders of different sizes, a plentiful supply of Brittany sock needles. I've lost countless of theses on car journeys. You've only got to loosen your grip on one ever so slightly and the little begger jumps away and disappears down into the bowels of the car-seat mechanicals i.e. down the side and into the metalwork, never to be seen or heard of again. There's nothing worse than not having a spare sock needle when you need one!

I always have a couple of pairs of scissors in the bag, some highlighter tape, for marking those complicated rows on a lace pattern as you work, a spare pen (just in case) and those little 'handmade by snoopydog' labels that I seldom use, but love to have.

A knitting session never goes smoothly if you have a rough nail or two. The yarn gets snagged; so irritating! So, I always carry a nail file and some handcream from 'TheWoolen Rabbit'. Rough hands ruin any fine yarn, creating a nasty halo of fuzz which shouldn't be there!

As you can see, I'm a girl who likes to make sure that every eventuality is suitably catered for ;-)  

I wonder what's inside your notion's bag? Or any other special bag!

 

Follow me (see sidebar) AND leave me a message telling me what you keep in your bag before 9pm GMT on Saturday, 5th May and you could be the lucky winner of two skeins of gorgeously coloured  Mini Mochi by Crystal Place yarns. I will use a random number generator to pick the winner. Each comment will be assigned a number. Pop back next Sunday to see if you are the lucky recipient! 

 

 

What are you waiting for! Be sure to follow me and leave me a comment! Have a great week!

FEELING BLUE...........

Oh dear! I know I really shouldn't have cast on another project, but I felt compelled to initiate something pretty mindless. I wanted something on the needles that could be worked without needing to tick off rows or follow a pattern, even a 'quick glance' pattern. We are travelling up north to visit little Sophie in a few weeks time, as Mr Snoops joins some of our children and their spouses to take part in the Bupa Great Manchester Run. I thought I would try to make a couple of little cardigans for her, to go with the little lavender sweater. The pattern is from the Debbie Bliss 'eco baby' book, using 'eco baby' cotton and is one I've made for Sophie once before, when she was smaller. Here's a reminder of the smaller version, knit in 2010....

It is very simple to make, with a crocheted border added afterwards. The only downside, is the monotony of the moss stitch; fine for me though, as it requires no brain activity!

I also bought four skeins of a pretty Debbie Bliss 'baby cashmerino'. I normally pick up this kind of mass produced yarn in my local John Lewis, although they don't stock the full colour range. This was a new colour in and such a pretty blue. It will be enough to make another little cardi.

During the week, I've made a little bit of progress on the Almost Ovals scarf, but not worth showing you today and turned the heel on the Roger socks, another beautifully written Anne Hanson pattern.

 It's a really satisfying, easy to remember pattern, and works well with the delphinium blue Soctopus Sokkusu yarn.

 Such is the British weather at this time of year; one minute blue sky and sunshine and the next, a torrential rain shower! I had set myself up for a knitting and reading morning in the garden today.

My coffe was made and I had just settled down when the heavens opened up. Whilst waiting for the sun to reappear, it seemed like a good use of time to pop in for a chat. So, here I am!

I'm obviously going  through my blue period at the moment, but then that's not so much of a surprise, as blue is most certainly one of my favourite colours!

Have a good week everyone!

BACK DOWN TO EARTH.....

Good evening! Yes, we are back home and it's down to earth with a bang, as it's back to school tomorrow! We have had a truly amazing couple of weeks and my head is still crammed full of wedding festivities. Surprisingly, we still have some of the beautiful flowers alive and kicking, although I fear, not for too much longer.

We drove up to Pickering for the second week of the holidays and enjoyed a very relaxing few days, walking Oscar in Dalby Forest or on one of the many local beaches, enjoying good pup grub and some tasty real ale. All in all, it was a fabulous two weeks. Many, many precious memories have been safely stored away.

I didn't really pick up any knitting until we arrived in Pickering and even then, my head just needed a pretty mindless project that would almost knit itself on autopilot. I had just the thing! Little Sophie's jumper, knit in Wendy 'Happy' was just what I needed and once I got going, it was done in no time.

The pattern is a Wendy pattern and is brilliantly written and extremely simple. The little button bands are knitted on after..........

 ................ as is the roll neck.

'Happy' is a 75% bamboo and 25% nylon blend. It's supersoft and beautifully light; just right for a toddler's spring or summer sweater.

 I did also manage anothe repeat on 'Almost Ovals'.............

............. a few more rows on my 'Roger Socks'................

............... and started another shawl. This one is for my newly married elder daughter. She decided against a wedding shawl, but fell in love with mine!!!!! So, off we go on Lucy's 'Wedding Memories Shawl'. I'm using the Rowan 2ply lace again in this gorgeous deep purple. It's an 80% alpacca and 20% merino mix and is a really lovely yarn to work with being warm and soft and flattering to the pattern.

So, now I've delayed for the entire day I think I really must say goodbye and check out what I need to be doing at school tomorrow. I feel as though I've been away for months, not just two weeks. I'll soon be back in the swing of things I expect, and it's really not th\t long until the next hols!!!!

Have a good week everyone.

A BEAUTIFUL DAY......

It was the most beautiful day ever imaginable, in every way possible.  From beginning to end, our 'world' was filled with love, laughter, fun, friendship and music. Family and friends arrived from far-flung corners of the the earth to share in their special day. As parents of the bride, we quietly reflected  on how both bride and groom shone, all day and all night long, the deepness of their love wrapping itself tightly around everybody present. Theirs was the joining of two beautiful people, simply born to be together. The memories are so, so sweet..............

...................... the beautiful bride almost ready,

................ flowers for their hair,

................ little flowergirl hoop,

........... usherettes' corsages,

........ brides gorgeous hand-tied flowers waiting in water,

........ chief bridesmaid's beautiful flowers,

......... tables simply ready,

............... and the plan, so we know where to sit,

........................ cupcakes, one hundred and twenty in all!

 ......... spring flowers on tables in shades of purple and blue,

.....................  'One Day  Like This'!

................ dear little Sophie collecting dried flower petals, thrown as they walked back down the aisle,

.................... such beautiful memories,

 ................... playing peepo with mummy and daddy,

 

................ enjoying good food and wine together,

 .................... Sophie's little hoop left to rest, now it's time to play!

....... watching the ducks on the lake,

 .................. catching up with friends,

........... our younger daughter's flowers resting while she eats,

................ time for the outdoors,

................ a stroll around the lake,

................. outdoor photo shoot, between courses, to capture the light,

...........  simply beautiful fresh flowers,

..................... the band getting ready,

 

............... such a special tune,

We didn't need the sun to shine, you did that for us! We love you both so dearly! You're together for the rest of your lives!