A bit of Sunshine

Hello Folks.

We've had some sunshine for the first day of spring.  I popped some bellis in a pot by the front door, they are looking very cheery.

Which unfortunately, can't be said of me.  I have had a return of the lurgy that I had last weekend.  It has been going around school.  One day last week we had 10 children out of our class!   It was a blocked nose/sore throat/ sort of lurgy which left me very low on Friday and yesterday but thankfully, I'm livelier today. 

 I treated myself to a hot choc this morning made with Chocolate Charbonnel and a marshmallow melt.  They were both a birthday present from my mum and I had the last marshmallow today.  Oh! it was heaven.  Thanks Mum.

As I was grotty I sat and knitted and watched England win the Six Nations Rugby.  I finished one arm of my Driftwood and I'm halfway down the other.  I was trying to do the sleeves on a circular needle but wasn't really getting on that well, so I did a quick Amazon click and new set of double pointed needles arrived a few days later.  The sleeves are flying off the needles now.

We've only one week to go until the Easter holidays at school.  Me and Mr Clicky are off to France over Easter weekend.  Let's hope there aren't too many others with the same idea!

As always have fun...........Clicky Needles.

Straight Tulips

Hello All!

I thought I'd start off by showing my Mother's Day Flowers Miss Clicky bought me.

Red and yellow tulips.  Lovely.

They were a bit floppy however, so I pricked them behind the flower head with a pin and put some sugar for food in the water.

When I came downstairs this morning they were standing up straight in the sunshine.

I spent Mother's Day painting the en-suite.  It has been virtually finished, the plumber has to come back to put in the towel rail and two lights around the mirror.   Mr Clicky is banned from painting so it is my job.  After we brought the tin of newly mixed paint for the bathroom, he opened it, we looked at the colour and put the lid back on.  Whilst putting the lid on he got paint all over his hands and then splattered it up his coat and jumper.  He is no better with a brush in his hand, there's more running down his arm than going on the wall so, no more. 

I'll show some pictures when the bathroom is fully complete.

I have been knitting white a lot too.   This is my Driftwood by Isabell Kraemer.  The pattern is stripy, I am making mine plain with some colour blocks.    As it's a double knit rather than the 4ply cardi I made a while back, it's moving fast.  

The pattern had the lovely 'contiguous' set in sleeves and are a joy to work.  The yarn ~ Drops Lima was last year's Christmas  Present from Mr Clicky, so I'm pleased to be using it up.

I'm hoping it doesn't turn out to be be too much like a school jumper when it's done.........

That's me for now, 

have a super week........................Clicky Needles.

Bangs and Crashes

Hello Folks.

I have been sorting through some of my yarn stash this week.  The boarding of the attic is going well so I decided to box up (some) of the yarn I'm not using and get it into the attic.  My knitting pal Romain has been having a sort out too.    She gave me a huge pile of old Rowan Magazines some going back quite a few years and some more recent.  I had a read and a flick through and took out some that had things in that I might make.

Mmmmmmm, yummy colourwork.

When I came across this mini poncho I got quite excited.  It's made in Rowan Big Wool Fusion ~ so squishy ~ I had four balls languishing in my stash somewhere, and I do like a poncho.
  

A quick knit, I made the large size and decreased until I reached medium ~ bottom up pattern ~ and did more rows on the neck than the pattern.  I can't see the point of having a very warm, very snuggly poncho and pulling it down so your shoulders are exposed!

On a roll, I finished up the last half a ball of yarn on a hat.  I don't know who will wear it ~ not me that's for sure ~ but the yarn has all gone now and that's all that matters to me.

The pile of bathroom things has been piling up in the kitchen.

Today the fitter came and started work.  He thanked me for cleaning the old bathroom ~ apparently some people don't ~ and set to work.  There's been lots of banging and crashing this morning 

but by lunchtime nothing remained.

By the end of the week, we should hopefully have a new bathroom.   

Mr Clicky is in Chicago on business, so he's left me in charge. It's snowing there and negative temperatures so he's taken extra layers.  Me and Master Clicky are on half term so a chance to recharge those batteries, catch up on some X-Box FIFA (him) and a bit of knitting/housework/oven cleaning/dog walking/gardening (me.)  I'll need to go back to work for a rest.

Have fun, see you soon....... Clicky Needles.

Got Those Gloves Done

Hello there.

Well, I finished my gloves.  I love the yarn ~ Drops Delight ~ it's so cosy.  I made the finger tips on the right hand match the left.

I'm very pleased with the overall result.  Not that I'll be needing them anytime soon, the weather is still warm, rainy and windy.  

Mr Clicky and I excused Master Clicky from rugby training this morning and went to the local DIY store to buy tiles for our en-suite.  It's been needing attention for several years now ~ we are unable to use the shower because the tiled walls have given up the ghost.  So we've bought tiles, 

a shower, a shower cubicle, got some mosaics on-line and been to Ikea at Bristol for a sink unit, lights and tap.  (Obviously I bought other things in Ikea too, chopping block, tea lights etc.)  We just need to get the toilet and spot lights now.

Hopefully the plumber will be coming a few weeks time, I can't wait.

I think that's me for now, I need to decide what my next knitting project will be.

See you soon.

As always have fun.

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

Excited By The Bin

Hello all.

I have been very excited this week. 

 Our new garden waste bin has arrived.  It might not look exciting to you but it is going to change the way I garden.  It will be collected every two weeks from February to November.  EVERY 2 WEEKS!!!!!!!!! 

No more packing the car full of old compost bags of garden trimmings with dubious things leaking out of the bottom.  No more tedious journeys to the tip, sorry, Civic Amenity Site, with half a shrub sticking in my ear and an ant colony followed by a snail trying to make a break for freedom out of the driver's  window.  I can drag it around as I chop and pull weeds with gay abandon and fill it to the brim.  The neighbours will not recognise our garden.  I am one very happy bunny.

I have finished knitting my stripy cardi but it needs buttons and a block so I'll show you that when it's completely finished.  I pulled out my flip-top gloves and decided to take the flip off ~ it squashed my fingers together, undo the ribbing on the finger and just knit them normally.

I finished the first off quickly ~ I rather like the effect that the different colour finger tips have ~ and I'm working my way up second hand.

Not that I need warm gloves at the moment, 3 days of frost has given away again, to rain and greyness.  

Righto I'm off to my 'Body Blitz' class which I will not enjoy so I'll see you again soon.

Bye for now........Clicky Needles.  

P.S. I'm sorry the font has gone weird I wrote part of this post on my iPad and it doesn't want to change.

Gloomy

Hello folks.

Well it stopped raining for 2 days and we had some frost.  Both mornings I forgot to factor in car scraping time, so was a bit later to work than I wanted to be.  Unlike other areas of the country today, we've had no snow, just gloom.  Cold miserable fog.  This poor old robin doesn't look to cheery does he?  Not to worry, the rain will be back soon, I'm sure.

Master Clicky let me off rugby duty today.  He said he didn't mind if I didn't go to watch his match, they would loose anyway.  Miss Clicky informed him, they'd definitely loose if that was his attitude but as it was, the prediction came true.  

Whilst the boys were away I went through all my clothes drawers and had a massive try on, sort out and ruthless bin of things I don't wear.  It was all very cathartic.  I now need a charity bag to pop through the door.  Next week ,The Wardrobe.

Despite the gloom I got some pictures of my Daybreak Shawl.  I started this back in June last year (!) and finally got round to sewing the ends in over Christmas.   I should have carried the main colour up the edges and then would just have the contrast to sew in.  I didn't.  There we go.

 The yarn, baa ram ewe Titus, is a joy to work with and I love the finished result.  Having said that, I didn't really get on with the pattern.

 I got some of the points to stay, some didn't.  That I suspect, was due to me not increasing enough or increasing too often.

 All that said, I love the yarn, colours and finished result.  

 Stripes! what's not to like?

Speaking of stripes, my fabulous stripy cardigan is on the finishing stages.  I've finished both sleeves now and I'm on the button band. :-).

Well that's me for now, I hope you have a good week.

See you soon.......Clicky Needles.

Bookcase Tidying

Hello.

 It's been another weekend of horrible driving rain and dullness.  Master Clicky's rugby was cancelled due to a waterlogged pitch, so Mister Clicky put him to work.  We've decided that we have lots of 'stuff.'  I'm not sure what the stuff is or who it belongs to, but we have a lot.  Over New Year we had a chat and decided to have a sort and an organise.  Yesterday I bought 4 packs of loft boarding sheets and today Mr and Master have been in the attic above the garage laying it.  I have been buying plastic boxes by the tonne and all that stuff will be labelled and properly stored.  The next job is to find some good drop down ladders from the loft hatch, so we can get to it easily.

Whilst they were up there banging around I decided to sort out (my) bookcase in the hall.  It holds mainly my knitting books.  You may remember that back last summer Gillian from Tales from a Happy House put her cookery books on a bookshelf,  colours together  ~ I'm sorry I tried to find the post but couldn't ~ I thought it was an interesting idea, so.......

 .......I've done it too.  What do you think? Better?  The green/brown books at the bottom are, unsurprisingly, gardening.

Our hall, especially at the moment, is quite dark, so I kept out a set of lights from the Christmas decorations.  I love the warm glow that they give, making the hallway more inviting.

 Above the bookcase is this picture.  I found this beautiful tissue paper when I was Christmas Shopping and sent Mr Clicky out before Christmas to the local DIY store for a frame.  I was pleasantly surprised when he came home with this black box frame.

 Something else I decided to leave out and not pack away.

 I have been trying to take some knitty photos but the light is so rubbish, they didn't come out well.  I will try again after school this week, on the plus side it is light when I get home as the nights are drawing out again.

That's me for now.

Have fun..............Clicky Needles. x