The Early Christmas Stocking

Here's where I was up to with the stocking for Thomas on Wednesday night.




And here is a close up of some of the lettering.




At this point we have another tale of the BF's ability to be a big stinky meany.

The BF and his sister are half-Danish. As he was admiring the lettering, he turned to me and said: "You do realise that they spell his name with the Danish spelling, T-O-M-A-S?"

I stood there open-mouthed: "But I showed you the stocking design before I started knitting it!"

He burst out cackling and admitted he was lying.

Enquiring minds wanted to know...

...what happened to the "Jitterbugs" after machine washing.

Here's before (in daylight):

And, here's after (again in daylight):

I've been happier.

New Socks!

Here are my new socks in "Opal - Rainforest (Blue Frog)"! Piccie is a bit blurry 'cos the BF took it.



They're almost matching.

Speaking of socks... the BF washed my "Jitterbugs"... in the washing machine. 'Fire' isn't quite so fiery and 'Popsicle' doesn't look quite so appetising. He will be kept very far away from my 'Lapis' "Jitterbugs" when I get around to making those.

Pained Look

I hate having my photo taken and here I am squinting in the sunshine on Saturday morning - but this is just to show you "Tulip".



I am seriously pleased with that at least.

Anyway, I ended my postings on Saturday with a note that I was about to have a row with the estate agent. This is because he told us that our house would be on their website by 8pm Thursday. It wasn't but that was ok - I was prepared to wait until Friday lunchtime. No sign of it then either.

I rang the agent. Apparently, someone would be at my house at 4pm with a brochure sample to proof read. I dashed off from work. It was 5.15pm - and three phonecalls later - before anyone appeared.

On Saturday, it was on one of the websites run by the agent, but without any photos.

I was not pleased.

1. There were three occasions I had dashed home for this guy only for him to arrive at least 30 minutes late.
2. The agent was the one who had said the house would be on their website by Thursday night, so if he hadn't made the promise, I wouldn't be giving him earache.

Anyway, it's now Monday - everything is as it should be on the agent's website (give or take a couple of errors, but at least the pictures are up); and I am in the middle of showing people around the house. We're waiting for the fourth couple now.

We're off to view some houses tomorrow night.

So far, so good.

PS This top, knitted for size 16, used 7 and 1/2 balls of yarn - not the pattern-recommended ten.

Odds and Ends

After I finished "Tulip", I did some more "using up the sock yarn for charity" and here's a hat and bootees in "Rainforest - Flamingo".



I also started some early Christmas knitting. This is the start of a Christmas Stocking for the BF's nephew Thomas. I'm basically enlarging the free "Opal" pattern and doing it in DK on 4mm needles. Knitting with hedgehogs? This baby's knitting with porcupines!



This is actually red wool, not orange. I've designed this myself. I'm going to do Fairisle including Thomas's name and some Christmas Trees. Then it's going to be a garish stripe design (green and red) with a red heel and toe. I'm starting it now so I can get bored and skip to other projects, and actually get it finished.



Finally, here's some more socks for me! (It's been a while). This is "Opal - Rainforest - Blue Frog" and it was sent to me in the Springtime Secret Santa goodie haul. It's about time I started knitting with it. :-)

As for house selling... I'm about to have an argument with the estate agent so I'll get back to you when I have finished that.

Tulip

I finished "Tulip" on Easter Sunday, which I think is pretty good going. Below are two pix of the trim being attached. This is knitted on, rather than sewn on. I had my doubts about it - wondering how I was going to make sure the trim didn't overrun the neck line or run out before it was finished.



But... it worked and look - you can't see daylight between the join. It's almost invisible seaming.



I'm wearing it today. Photo later, maybe.

Quick Update

"Tulip" is currently blocking in the spare room. The BF has been warned not to go in there today. I'm stretching it a little to make the top a bit longer than it currently is. It should be dry by tonight and I may be able to attach the trim to it.

One point to make:

The pattern required ten balls. I have the neck trim yet to make (312 stitches over eight rows); two arm sleeve trims and two 1m long ties. I'm only just now on the seventh ball, so there's likely to be a least two balls left over.

If anyone is contemplating using this yarn and shade for anything, I'd be happy to do a swap, sending on whatever is left over.

My Mam loved the "Twilleys Freedom Spirit" wrapover. The BF chose that moment to say he'd had his doubts about it (oh, yeah)... not the actual knitting (that's alright then), but whether the colour would suit my Mam (as if I wouldn't know). And he claims to be the bastard love-child of Trinny and Suzannah?

Sorry I haven't popped into many people's blogs to leave comments over the last week. We're getting the house ready to sell and we want the estate agents to visit next week. So, I've been cleaning up the grout in the bathroom, touching up paintwork and doing the garden... more of the same this week!