Shaping, Making and Baking

My back is killing me, I can't speak and I love my washing machine!! No I haven't gone mad. I'm still recovering from all the cheering I did on Sunday. Dear son played a home festival and their age group won. You can always spot me on the sidelines. I'm the one running up and down and cheering (more like screaming) at the top of my voice. The day started off beautifully sunny and ended up freezing cold and although adequately dressed, I still ended up freezing my bits off. Shea is still walking on cloud nine and I'm nursing my aches and pains. my washing maching takes a bashing with all the muddy kit that gets chucked into it on a Sunday afternoon, not to mention my bits and pieces that are mud mud encrusted by the end of the day. The day was so action packed that my little knitting pouch stayed unopened by my side - a very rare thing. I'm slowly gaining a reputation for knitting on the go, so much so that a few other parents wanted to know why I wasn't knitting!! I forgot to change over the knitting project and instead of socks, had Mary with me. I'm about to start the armhole shaping and couldn't whip it out only to then drop it mid line to cheer, so she stayed put. Still lousy weather so no pictures to show.

Flashing my Stash
Stash is going to have to be flashed in dribs and drabs. For me, denial is definitely a river in Egypt. I do not have stash, I have areas in my home that contain yarn. That's all. I have tried to analyse whether I am a collector of yarn or a stasher. Is there a difference? I think so. I fool myself on a daily basis, that all the yarn in my home is needed, has a project waiting for it, and I never, never buy yarn just because the price is too good to leave it behind - yeah right!! Like Yarn Harlot my stash is divided. I divide into a) yarn I will use, b) yarn I will get around to using, just don't know when or what for and c)yarn that is too good to use. I just sit with it and stroke it and hold it close to my bosom..... The yarn shown is yarn that I don't quite know what to do with. As a result, it is going to my constructed textile class.

Most of the yarn I have knitted with, and it is the tail end or left overs, or the yarn was bought in such volume, there is still plenty left for another project. There is purple and red cotton chenille, two shades of yellow DK cotton, various shades a burnt copper cotton in DK. In the upper right corner, you can see the lovely bright lime green in cotton DK - this is one of the purchases that years on, I don't know what I was thinking when I bought it. Next to it is some lovely pink Rowan stuff, which it slighty thinner than DK. More to follow when I have the courage to flash it.

Weaving a tale
Shea has been busy with the weaving cards purchased from the Handweavers studio recently. It was a little difficult at first. He used a large needle to feed the yarn through, but found it easier to use a shuttle made of hard card and the needle to feed and weave. He did pretty well for his first time. And as luck would have it, having successfully planted one picture on the blog, the nice computer won't let me do anymore. When I've figured out what I'm doing wrong, I'll post Shea's results.

Not to be outdone by PoshYarns and her lovely cooking, (she made me dribble at her lemon drizzle), we were in the kitchen over the weekend baking up a storm, making chocolate brownies and more lemon drizzle cake - all from Nigella Lawson's How to be a Domestic Goddess. I do like her cook books. She describes food in a down to earth way, like saying things are squidgy and yellow, rather than using a whole paragraph to describe the consistency of stuffing. Shea's rugby team were most appreciative!! And, if my luck is in and the weather lives up to expectations, I will soon be picking herbs from my own handmade herb garden. Shea helped me make it and sow the seeds yesterday, he also sowed some nasturtiums. See you can have fun with the kids in the holidays. I won't mention that he's in rebellion mode now and wants to sit and relax in front of the box. Not on your life kiddo - off to the library with you and sun flower seeds to sow tommorow!!

Update on Liam

This is where I need someone to stay on my tail and make me finish. The end are still waiting to be sewn in but I will be starting them tonight - last night, oh and the night before were just a slip. Rebecca, I'm knitting the largest size. Like you, I always knit with plenty of growing space. Shea is quite big for his age, and Liam is on the large size, it is a drop shoulder design, and I think is intentionally 'oversized' so a few rolls of the sleeve will not look out of place. After all that work, I expect him to be wearing it into his 20's!! Oh and I agree with you, for every one for Shea, there are at least three for me!! I'm on a promise, I have to finish Liam before I start what I want, and then there's Mary.......