Roll on 2008

Because really, it has to be better than 2007 was doesn't it! I certainly won't be doing one of those 'let's look back over the year' type posts before the end of the month, i'd want to go and throw myself under a bus!

Just to completely go against the theme of the last few posts, i'm going to include some knitting content in the blog, and even *gasp* some spinning content too!

Sooooooo, knitting. Well, during my more well feeling spells, hospital is quite a good place to get knitting done. I managed 4 squares for my Lizard Ridge blanket, and one sock for Sock Wars.


See, it's quite a nice sock. I'd have dearly loved to finish it's partner but the timing was lousy, it was right at the beginning of the illness when I was in lots of pain and not many drugs so I was knocked out quite quickly. I'd love to know where it is now actually, my 'victim' lives in the same county as me so really if i'd been well i'd have finished the second and hand delivered them. As it is, I posted them on to the person who killed the person who killed the person who killed me and who knows where they went after that because my 'victim' came second in the entire contest so she hasn't had them!

I also knitted this rather lovely scarf....


It's 'My So Called Scarf' (I know you're all on Ravelry now, you don't need me to be giving you links these days lol) and it's knitted in some very lovely Manos Del Uruguay I got in a swap. It's very snuggly, and very useful at the moment as i'm full of cold.

I also got this lovely thing before I went in to hospital...


Arthur is out of action at the minute so Joy has come to stay. We didn't get on to begin with, but after a bit of tweaking we have come to an understanding and we managed to make this last night.....


Buoyed on by our success we decided to go the whole hog today and made this...


It's actually a sort of deep purple roving of some description spun and then plied with some beautiful natural corriedale .

I predrafted the purple but it was breaking quite a lot, so I had a go at just drafting as I went and actually the corriedale lends itself quite well to learning to do that as the staple is quite long (ignore me if i'm talking crap, i'm new to all this, I think i've got it right!). Anyway, it was going ok! I plied it straight from the on board lazy kate and i'm really pleased with it! It's uneven and overspun in some places, underspun in others, but for a first attempt, well, it could have been worse!

In other news, the shop has been updated, I put some custom slots on to guage the response and it's been good, i'll have fun dyeing those up tomorrow!

Secret Pal also came to an end a week or so back. I have been blessed with very patient pals, Mazzam who spoiled me with 3 beautiful and very thoughtful parcels, sent a card to me while I was ill in hospital and sent lots of lovely emails was the best upstream pal ever. This was her last parcel to me....

Look at all the goodies! She handmade a card, handmade super snuggly mitts because I missed out on the Angel Yarns mitt swap, and a lovely needle felted pot, she sent beautiful yarn including some merino angora Sublime and some Sheep Shop aran longwool from Harrogate because I missed out on going, and some lush Kauni EQ (rainbow) yarn which I have been after for ages, some regia sock stoppers and the most exquisite ladybird row counter bracelet, we all admired it at stitch n bitch on thursday. Thankyou for being a wonderful pal Mazzam.

I spoiled Mandy and I had the best time doing it!! I hope she liked all her parcels, and I want to thank her for being very patient with me and my disappearing act for the last month or so of it.

So, that's us back up to speed! I'm looking forward to next year being full of knitting, spinning, dyeing, eating (without pain!) and general good stuff. Who's with me!!!

I shall leave you with a picture of Leo enjoying himself at the 3rd Annual KraftyKoala Christmas Extravaganza!