Operation FO

In the past week, I have finished two long-standing WIPs (works in progress). One is a secret, but I can share the other: socks for the Marie Curie sock quest. The socks will be going to a patient at a Marie Curie centre over the Christmas period.* I chose to knit UK size 12 socks as the organiser, Sarah, said that they don't usually get many socks in the bigger sizes. There were times when these socks felt never-ending, but over the past week, I've made a proper effort to get them off the needles, and the feeling of finishing something is lovely!

I considered immediately casting on a new pair of socks - I have some Christmas sock yarn I am itching to cast on - but rather than immediately rushing to my stash to locate the yarn, I have made the decision to work on some WIPs instead.** 

 

My current WIP list is as follows:

• Bunny blanket for my niece: I'm about halfway 
• Mini festive jumper decorations: Just initials and sewing up to go 
• Vinterskov sweater: I've done two thirds of the body

While it would be unrealistic to say I am going to finish these before casting on anything new, I think I can make a decent dent in the WIP pile before the end of the month if I focus on these projects rather than starting lots of new ones. I'll report back at the end of the month and let you know how I'm getting on. Wouldn't it be lovely if I had the decorations and the blanket done and I was on the yoke of the sweater (after all, aren't sleeves just larger versions of socks?)?

Do you have a pile of WIPs that could do with some work, or are you a one-project-at-a-time person?

 

********

 

My Festive Cheer KAL is running in my Ravelry group*** and on Instagram until the end of November, If you have festive knitting that you're working on, whether it's decorations or gifts, it would be lovely if you could join in the fun. Full details can be found here.

* Details of Marie Curie sock quest 2018 can be found here.

** Obviously my sock needles won't be empty for too long. Socks are such a lovely portable project, and are great for knitting while watching TV or while reading.

 

*** You need to be signed in to Ravelry for this link to work. Membership is free.

Yarn Along: Tiny windows

It's the first Wednesday of November, so today is Yarn Along day (on time for once!).

The knitting I've done since my daughter arrived has been done in tiny windows: a row or two in a waiting room; a few rows during a feed; the odd slightly longer period in the evenings when she sleeps (those are a little few and far between at the minute!). And I'm actually starting to see progress on a few things.

The big breakthrough in the past week is that I have suddenly worked out how to do intarsia round a feeding baby, and have actually finished a multi-coloured project apart from a little bit of finishing. I can't share that project at the minute, but will be able to soon. My new-found intarsia skills do bode well for getting the blankets for my nieces finished* - they were meant to be new-baby presents (the girls arrived in the summer), but have been reassigned as Christmas presents. If I get my act together they might actually be ready for Christmas Day!

I've also seen good progress on my Marie Curie socks. I'm knitting these for the Marie Curie Sock Quest 2018 being organised by Sarah Holmes. These socks will be a gift for a patient in a Marie Curie centre over Christmas.** I chose to knit size 12 socks as Sarah said that most people knit smaller socks. These socks have 80 sts per round, so are rather slower than my usual 64 st socks! I am determined to get these finished on time.

My Vinterskov sweater has been growing too. I'm still on the body as each round takes ages (220 sts per round), but it's definitely getting bigger. I have decided on the contrast colour for the yoke: the main colour is Purple Heather and the contrast colour will be Lavender. I've gone for a pale purple as I thought a cream or white would be too stark and I couldn't find a shade of grey I liked. Hopefully I'll be on the sleeves by the time I write again.

I've been really enjoying the #showoffyourwoollysocks challenge on Instagram (I'll post the summary for days 1-7 on the blog tomorrow), and it's been inspiring me to cast on some more socks! I have resisted so far as I'd really like the satisfaction of completing something. I do have a lot of Christmas sock yarn though, and would love to have a new pair of festive socks ready for Christmas...

And what have I been reading recently?

My Teenage Diary

I was reading this collection of excerpts from celebrity teenage diaries last time I wrote, but moved to something else while I was travelling last month. I’m not totally sure I’ll get back to reading it in full, as I did find some of the chapters a bit boring. I might dip back in and read the chapters written by the celebrities I’m more interested in, then return the book to the library!

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

I’d seen a few recommendations for this book on social media, and chose it to read while I was away last month. The book (based on a true story) tells the story of Lale, a prisoner in Auschwitz, and his improbable survival. The key question in this book is ‘how far would you go to ensure your own survival?’ As most of the story is set in Auschwitz, it is harrowing in many places, but also filled with an optimism provided by the main characters, Lale and Gita, who become lovers while in the concentration camp. I’d definitely recommend this.

Eve of Man by Giovanna and Tom Fletcher

I fancied reading this having enjoyed books by both authors, but am no quite yet far enough through it to tell you what I think. So far the plot can be summarised as follows: For many years, no boys have been born, until one day Eve arrives and finally there is hope for the human race.

That's all for now. What are you working on this month? Are you all about the festive knits, gift knitting, or making something lovely for yourself? Whatever it is, tell me all about it in the comments below.

Linking up with Ginny for Yarn Along.

*Peter Rabbit blanket by me.

**They also count for the Festive Cheer KAL!

Yarn Along: All about the Christmas jumpers

Just like that the newborn days are over.* I can't believe our daughter has been here for over six weeks already. We seem to be doing pretty well, and have been out most days. So far the third is definitely proving to be the easiest (though a lot of that may be because of managed expectations)!

I have managed to rediscover the knack of both knitting and crocheting while feeding the baby, so for a couple of weeks I worked on a blanket for a friend's new baby. The baby arrived at the end of September, slightly earlier than their due date, and before the blanket was finished. Once the baby was here I made a concerted effort to finish the blanket and got the whole thing done by the end of the baby's due date. Hooray! The blanket pattern is Hydrangea Blanket by Lucy of Attic 24 and was a pleasure to crochet - the pattern is simple and the blanket grew quickly, a perfect mindless project (having said that it is a bit smaller than I planned as my maths was off, oops. It's still plenty big enough). If you want more details, you can find them on my Ravelry project page.

Since the start of the Festive Cheer KAL, I have been concentrating on festive knitting. A couple of weeks ago a new pattern leapt to the top of my queue: Vinterskov by Karie Westermann. I've wanted to knit myself a festive jumper for ages, and this is such a subtle and understated festive design that it'll get worn well past the festive season. I'm knitting it in Cascade 220 Superwash** that has been in my stash for ages. The pattern came out on a Thursday and I'd already swatched by the end of Friday! As soon as the swatch was dry and I knew I'd got gauge I cast on. The jumper is making lovely progress (with the small caveat that once I'd knitted a few rounds I thought the gauge was a bit tight, so I put the whole thing on waste yarn and blocked it to check the blocked gauge. I needn't have done as it was fine! It's always best to be safe though; I want this jumper to fit).

The other festive knit that is on the needles is both festive and a gift. I have been meaning to make mini Harry-Potter initial jumper-decorations for a Harry Potter obsessed friend and her husband ever since they got married five years ago. They now have two children, so that's an extra two to knit. I have no idea why it took me so long to get round to casting on as each one only takes an hour or so (plus embroidery time; the embroidery is still to come). I'm using the Mini Christmas Jumper Bunting pattern by Sue Stratford, and the jumpers are so easy to knit! I might even make more than the four I'm planning...

And what have I been reading since I last wrote?

The Creakers by Tom Fletcher
I was reading this last time I wrote a Yarn Along post, and the book continued in much the same vein: a fairly classic 'what's under the bed?' story. I enjoyed the story, but wasn't captivated by it. I'd happily read it again with any of my children though, which I think is a good sign. The Christmasaurus is definitely better!

This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay
A book passed on to me by a friend, and one that came highly recommended by my husband who got to it before I did. This is the diary of a UK doctor about his time working in obstetrics and gynaecology. I read this *fast*. The writing is very readable, and many of the anecdotes are very, very funny, in a rather black way. The book also managed to be enlightening about how the NHS works, and was at times poignant and heart-breaking. I would recommend this book to anyone (unless you are particularly squeamish; if that's the case you should probably give it a miss).

The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy
Yes, I have now started to include books I read to my children... I missed out on The Worst Witch series as a child, but a few friends have suggested them as things to read with my four year old, and the box set was available at a very good price from The Book People a few weeks ago, so I ordered the seven-book series. Book one has not disappointed. Set in a boarding school for witches, with main characters Mildred and her friend Maud, two witches who aren't very good at following the rules, and you have a fairly classic children's story. Written in the late 1970s-early 1980s, The Worst Witch has aged well: I enjoyed the story, as did both my four year old and my seven year old. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Three Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon
I picked this up based on recommendations from a few friends, and, let's be totally honest here, because the cover has battenburg cake on it. I read the first few chapters and every word sent me to sleep. Apparently it's not for me! I'm not sure I read enough to tell you anything about it; I've popped it back on the 'to read' pile, and might get back to it one day.

My Teenage Diary
This book accompanies the Radio 4 series that I love, so it was an excellent library find. The book is excerpts from celebrities' teenager diaries, and it is as unintentionally funny as that sounds. The diaries do work better on the radio, as there they are read by the celebrity in question, but the book is an entertaining enough diversion. 

What have you been working on recently? Read anything good? 

Linking up with Ginny for Yarn Along.

Until next time, happy knitting.

*Confession: I wrote this post a couple of weeks ago, and it's taken me ages to get round to taking the photos for it! I've edited it to make sense with what's actually happening at the minute.

**Affiliate link.