Stolen moments

As much as I'd love to have a peaceful and relaxing weekend this is definitely one of those times when the Knitting will have to take a back seat. A busy programme of family events and general 'stuff' means that the Knitting 'du jour' needs to be simple, portable and with absolutely no counting needed. I have events to take the kids to, shopping and the usual weekend stuff but the saving grace is several hours of rugby watching time.

I've learnt the hard way that I can't do complicated stuff and even hope to follow the pitch side action but this version of my Fuss Free Festival Shawl is perfect for that. I'm thinking I might make this larger than the original single-skein version by adding in some grey stripes at the end. I just need to dig through my stash for a suitably darkish grey and see if I have anything that will work. If not, I may just have to do a little online shop later - never exactly a hardship.

Whatever you are doing today I hope you manage to squeeze in a little knitting too. I'm going to pop a progress marker in my shawl now and see how much I can add to it in the odd minutes that I get to pick it up. Will report back...

Spring Startitis

Spring is definitely in full swing here with noticeably lighter mornings and beautiful spring flowers popping out everywhere you look. The lighter mornings are an absolute godsend for the knitter and photographer. The luxury of being able to take photographs almost whenever you like - as opposed to having to hustle like mad to get your photographs done in the 10 minutes of daylight you have available to you.

Spring does also bring a bit of a problem too. I refer of course to Spring Startitis. A well recognised event which goes hand in hand with the Autumn version currently afflicting our friends in the Southern Hemisphere. A change of season brings about a restlessness in the seasoned knitter. Suddenly the current projects on the needles look dull and staid in contrast to the glorious colours we are seeing in nature. We want to scamper freely in colour, to cast off our dull, woolly projects and cast on something pretty, fresh and brand spanking new.

This year I have decided to just go with the flow and cast on whatever the heck I feel like. Some projects may end up becoming finished and some may not make the cut after my initial enthusiasm wanes. But regardless, I am enjoying the change of season and Spring Startitis is just one way to welcome spring with open arms. 

In praise of the unexpected

I can assure you that I'm surprised as you are to see a crochet blanket popping up here. I had absolutely no intention to start one and I certainly didn't wake up yesterday morning with that that in mind. If anything, on my day off yesterday I was sneakily planning to start another Mitered Square sock yarn blanket but this one to be in seasonal 'panels'. A more portable version to use up some of my more colourful sock yarn and one which could come out and about with me.

Then, two things happened. The first was that I managed to twinge my back quite badly - getting out of the car. As a consequence I found myself trying to distract myself from the pain with a bit of pattern surfing and I came across the Spring into Summer crochet pattern. This is a crochet blanket using the 'corner to corner' method of construction. A way of knitting a blanket without the super long and super fiddly foundation row which I detest with a passion and whigh I never fail to rip out at least three times before getting it right.

You just start off at one corner and increase as you go. The pattern I found is beautifully simple and most importantly has good clear pictures. 

My only rule for this blanket is no grey or dark colours. This is going to be light, bright and fun. I might do 1 large square or break it up into 4 square panels - I'll see how I go as the square gets bigger. For now I am just content to work away on my new found obsession. 

A knitters day off

If I'm slightly giddy with excitement this morning I'm afraid you will have to forgive me. The reason is simpless- for the first time since before half term - 5 weeks ago - I get to have the house to myself. The boys will be in school and immobile DH is starting back at work with his crutches and ice packs at the ready. Once I've done the necessary drop offs and grocery shopping I have a whole 5 hours to myself.

Let joy be unconfined.

Now in the true style of an introvert I plan to spend the time by myself, alone. I might read a little, I might go for a walk but mostly I plan to just sit and knit. Time alone is how I recharge my batteries, deal with problems and cope with whatever life throws at me. Having absolutely no time to myself over the last few weeks has been one of the hardest things about DH's  surgery when the only time I've had to myself is when I'm driving- and that doesn't really count.

So I'm out of bed at the crack of dawn this morning. Hustling everyone to get ready for school and work - the sooner I get them despatched the sooner the 'me time' can commence.

What's your favourite way to relax and recuperate? Are you a classic introvert like me or do you seek the company and stimulation of other people?

Don't be a flat squirrel

As knitting blogs go - you’ve got to admit that the title is a bit of a strange one.

A favourite saying of an old college lecturer of mine - this one has stuck with me over the years and never has it been more apt than now. Whether it is deciding on which new sweater pattern to buy from Ravelry to picking a new logo for the web site I can be guilty of the most horrible procrastination and over thinking.

The end result is predictable of course, I don’t do anything.

The worst thing that can happen to a knitting project is that it stalls at a point where a decision is needed. Do I have enough yarn to make 2 full length sleeves or should I cut them short? Should I stop and turn the heel now or turn them into afterthought heels?

A quick inventory of my WIP basket(s) shows that all of them - apart from an interminable grey sweater for DH - are stalled pending a decision from me. And the daft thing is that in most cases a quick 10 or 15 minutes of quality time with that particular WIP is enough for me to assess it, work out what needs to be done and to make a decision.

Indecision struck again this weekend during my #bedinburghyarnfest. I was determined to cast on a new sweater for myself and my task was simple. Pop on to Ravelry and find a suitable pattern. Predictably though, the more patterns I looked at the more indecisive I became. Having a time constraint didn't help the sense of pressure either.

My learning point from this was that my queue is in desperate need of a good sort out and a matching up to yarn in my stash. That way, next time I can make the process a lot more straightforward.

For this week though, my task is simple. Just make a decision. Whether I am faced with a WIP or an issue on my website. Make a decision and move on.

Not now, I'm counting

I'm currently enjoying working on a fab colourwork project - a kit from Lucy Locket Land - and it is a sheer joy to work on. Lovely, sheepy wool, bright colours and the sheer joy of two handed colourwork knitting. When you are in the zone it's a great feeling and you hum contentedly to yourself as you work your way along the rows and see the wonderful pattern emerging.

Except if you are in my house. In the same way that kids can sense the opening of a fridge door or the fact that you are embarking on an Important Phone Call, my two have an unerring knack for knowing when I'm in the middle of a knitting project that requires counting.

Any requests from "have you seen my trainers" to "the cats have brought in a mouse again" is met with a renewed focus on the work in the front of me and the muttered response "I'm counting". It's like they have a sixth sense and without fail, they know exactly the worst possible time to interrupt me.

They are pretty quick learners though, I'll give them that. By the end of the weekend they were wise enough to realise that if I had the 'grey woolly thing' in my lap then they should just back away quietly. My eldest boy even went for extra brownie points for sidling back into the room, quietly depositing a jaffa cake at the side of me and then leaving again.

I think I know what happened to the rest of the packet of jaffa cakes but it was a small price to pay for getting some uninterrupted time with my new favourite project.