Autumn Cardi Ta-Dah!!!!!!!

Hello all.

Firstly a Ta-Dah!!!!!

Here's my Autumn Cardi.

When I looked at my Ravelry Projects page I see that I started this in February, but it's been sat in the corner under the coffee table (not quite back of the sofa, but nearly) for a while.

I suppose it has been warmer of late and it is chunky yarn.

Anyhoo, the yarn came from (yes you've guessed it!) Kemps, it's Stylecraft Signature Chunky the cardi coming in at about £15.00, so a bit of a bargain.  

It is shaped, which you can't see that well in the picture and I pronounce myself well pleased with it.

It's been a quiet week in the Clicky Needles' household this week.

I got to go to Butterfly Knitters yesterday, having missed the last two meetings over the holidays so it was lovely to see the gang again.

When I got back there still a little bit of autumn sunshine in the garden, so I set up my chair and carried on knitting with a cup of nice strong tea.

The autumn feel is definitely around, the Japenese anemones have nearly finished....

 but this Cosmos is still going strong, I love the stripes.

 Today's weather was horrible, nasty, nasty, rain.  DS had rugby training and he came home soaked and caked in mud.  We made him get undressed at the front door and he and the kit all went in the wash.

I had to swill all the mud off his kit before it went in the machine, just like my Mum used to with my Dad's work clothes when he came in from feeding the cows in the winter, only his overalls were covered in cow muck!  

Remember those days Mum?  

She doesn't have to do that anymore.

So, with my Cardi finished I'm on the last bit of the Montague Vest, from New England Knits.  This has been on the go for the summer as well, so I'm having a definite case of finish off itus..........of course I'm always thinking of the next project too.

Well, I hope you have a great week and thanks to Pretty at Heart for being my 60th follower.

Let's hope the weather is a bit better.

Byeeee..............Clicky Needles.

Wow! What a lampshade!

Hi there!

Hope you're all well.

Thanks for your good wishes for DD's overnighter in a tent in the gales!

She was less bothered by the wind than the two other girls who she shared a tent with.  She was on the bottom of the slope and consequently they rolled onto her, so not the best night's sleep.  They were then woken at 6.30am to do P.T. which didn't go down well!  They were bridge building, raft making, making a fire etc, all for the Uniformed Services course she is doing at college.

Yesterday Mr CN, me and DS went to visit some old friends who live in Sandhurst.  I volunteered to drive home but Mr CN drove there, so I got out some 12mm needles and the Plassard Zoom that my friend B sent me back in May after she visited the Plassard Factory Shop in France.  (What a lovely friend I have!)

A chunky garter stitch scarf, what a great bit of in car knitting.

I carried on this morning whilst watching the Rugby World Cup, about the only thing I can knit whilst watching because I do tend to shout at the TV and can't concentrate on anything more.

 Coming along nicely.

 I've completed another square for the friendship blanket, I'm particularly pleased with this one. 

 Vogue Stitchionary 2 was well worth it! 

You'll be pleased to know that I have sewed that button on my Autumn Cardi and it's blocking now so pictures next time.

I went to Gloucester on Friday to take some of my hand dyed yarn into Miju Wools and had a tootle around.  I found myself in BHS (to use the loo!) and spotted this across the shop floor.  

I was drawn in for a closer look. 

 I stood deliberating for some time.  

Did we need a new lampshade for the bedroom?

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Not to everyone's taste I know but I LOVE IT.

Mr CN proclaimed it to be a 'Disco ball' ~ it is quite sparkly.

I can't quite believe I'm up to 59 followers now ~ how exciting ~ and thanks for all your lovely comments I really enjoy reading them.

Righto I'm off to read some blogs and then an evening of knitting.

Have a great week.

Byeeeeeee..................Clicky Needles.

Hello all.

The first week back at school was good fun! 

It is nice to see lots of little smiley faces.

As I type this I'm nice and cosy in the study, listening to howling wind outside.

It's got up to 40mph in this neck of the woods today.

Why am I telling you this?

Well my poor DD is camping tonight at Slimbridge on the banks of the River Severn.  She's gone with fellow students on her college course.

I think they might not get much sleep!

Do you like my lovely sunflower? It's the only one I managed to get to germinate and grow a bit before the slugs/snails got to it.  I wandered into the garden the other day wondering how it was doing and guess what?  It had also been attacked by slugs and was lying on the ground just attached by a sliver of stem.  I cut it off and now is on the kitchen windowsill.

I love the colours.

 On the knitting front, I've finished the ipad cosy, and I just need to sew the button on my Autumn Cardi.  Do you remember it? No? I'm not surprised I started it in April.  How bad is that?  In my defence it is a chunky yarn and it has been a bit warmer of late.  Anyhoo, once I get the button on I'll let you know.

 I've also got my Montague Vest back on the go which is from the book New England Knits.  This is made in Rowan Little Big Wool so fast going.  I'm pleased I picked this up again, I'm loving the lace pattern with the chunky yarn and it's sooooooo soft.

Oh blimey!  I hear more gusts of wind.

Hope she's ok.

Hope your week is a good one.

Bye.................Clicky Needles.

School Tomorrow!

Hi there!

School starts properly tomorrow.

It'll be a noisy old place with the hundred or so kids around.

  The holidays seem to have gone for-e-v-e-r so it's not so bad.

DD has her first day at college and DS is back too. 

 He's a Year 8 now where did that time go?

I haven't got many pretty pictures to show you this week but I have finished that Drops Cardi.

I'd been putting off sewing up, but for the life of me I don't know why.

My shock secret today.

I like making up.

I love the way that mattress stitch makes your edges magically disappear.

So here it is.

 It's come out slightly longer than I thought it would and the handkerchief bits hang a quite long.  I think this is because of a few things:

1.  I'm only 5 foot 3 inches and not at all like the tall slim models!

2. The Rowan Cotton Jeans is quite heavy, although it has a nice drape, pulls it down more.

The actual Drops Pattern is a lot more floatier, but I think I'll get lots of wear from it.

Mr Clicky Needles (bless him) said "It looks like one from a shop" so I'm pleased.

I think I'd try it again but maybe in a cosy Alpaca or Wool yarn.

Not much more to say today I'm afraid, I'm amazed that none of you commented on the dreadful camping breakfast of scones and clotted cream, I guess you're all too nice.

It's raining now and will be tomorrow, great for the first day back.

Have fun whatever you get up to..................Clicky Needles.

Bank Holiday Weekend.

Hello there!

We had lovely weekend camping in Oxfordshire with our friends B and S.

Just as we were about to leave on Friday we had a phone call.

B and S had got to the campsite and it was raining.

Hard.

B was drenched getting from the car to the office.

Luckily the site had a pod free, so we decided to take that for the night rather than get a tent up in the rain. It had lights and more importantly on a very damp and wet evening ~ a heater.

Next morning the boys got the tent up while B and me threw everything into the car for the trip to the next field. We were soon settled in.

We were next to a field of Suffolk Sheep.

We visited a National Trust property Upton House which was owned by Walter Samuel an heir to Shell Oil. The house was preserved in the 1930's and we decided a weekend house party would have been jolly nice there.

Most of the rest of our time was spent talking, playing cards and scrabble and having the odd tipple.

I got some more squares completed ~ although not that many.

It was a bit chilly in the evening but we were warmed by this lot ~ and a cracking little gas heater.

Monday morning breakfast consisted of all the uneaten food, so I finished off the scones!

A lovely relaxing time.

The kids had a great time too with their Aunt at Centre Parks. Lots of swimming, horse riding for DD and paint balling for DS. They came home exhausted!

Well, it's back to school tomorrow, but without the kids, they're back in on Monday. The pregnant colleague is nearly due so I made these little baby socks. I hope she likes them.

Holidays have come to an end :-(

Bye for now....................Clicky Needles.

August Mosaic

With August drawing to a close some of my favourite pictures.

ETA. The car load of garden rubbish isn't a nice picture, but gives me a huge sense of satisfaction!!!!

A Tale of a Jacket

Hello folks.

Another week gone by.

I've been dyeing some more yarn which is drying now.

The ipad cosy is coming along nicely, but I had to get another ball of yarn, this is as far as one would go. It's made in Adriafil Knitcol which I really like. I'm not sure I'd make a garment in it but for little projects like this it is just right.

Whilst trying to get things out of my wardrobe the other other day, a jacket fell on my head. (Yes my wardrobe is a mess) anyhoo with the jacket falling on me I took it as an omen and decided I needed to look at it.

Let me tell you the story.

I bought the yarn, Rowan Big Wool Fusion ~ along with lots of other people if Ravelry is anything to go by ~ in the Dunelm sale. It was £1.00 a ball.

It should have been about £6.00 a ball so I got some. It would have been rude not to. 10 balls of brown, 10 balls of blue, 10 balls of pink.

This pattern Anise from Rowan was in Simply Knitting at the time ~ January 2008 ~ so I cast on as soon as I got home. (I think I had less stash then!)

It only took a few days to make and I even made three sleeves not realising I already had two.

I excitedly sewed it together and put it on.

UGH.

I hated it. I wasn't happy with my sewing up and it felt bulky and horrible. The front in the pattern is crossed over the chest and I just felt swamped by it. It had only cost me £8.00 to make so I consoled myself with that and chucked in the top of the wardrobe.

When it fell on me the other day I really looked at it really well.

The sewing up wasn't soooo bad, the colour was better than I remembered and it is the squooshiest yarn. I sewed the poppers on the front to make it meet in the middle and not cross over and found some nice wooden buttons in the button jar and do you know? It's not so bad after all.

In fact I even quite like it. Just right for the Autumn.

I got my friendship blanket squares off. These first two are lime green not khaki....

and this yellow is mustard and not bright yellow. I'm really enjoying all the new cables and I even managed to do the mustard one without a cable needle.

We've had a few days of lovely sunshine so I've been in the garden.

Lying.

Gardening.

Drinking tea.

Gardening.

Lying.

and ~ ahem ~ dozing too.

It's not all been doing nothing though, I went to the tip ~ sorry recycling centre ~ with this little lot.

I hate going to the tip.

A job that is on the top 10 worst things to do along with cleaning the oven and sorting out the attic.

Anyway it's done now and that's all that matters.

We're off camping for the bank holiday weekend, WITHOUT the kids, they're off to Centre Parks with their aunt so Mr CN and me are camping with S and B. That should be fun, we won't have play cricket all day to keep DS happy.

Just a bit of scrabble and crosswords.

Hope your bank holiday weekend is a good one.

Bye...................Clicky Needles.

P.S. DD has got her GCSE results. 2 As, 4 Bs and 4Cs. A in Maths. :-)

This means she has got the college place she wants.

Very Proud.