Stage fright

Hello again,

has it really been months since I wrote....again?
Ah well at least this time I have a reasonable reason, Ive been getting twins. As you will guess when I tell you that they are two years old, I wasnt giving birth to them, but they have filled our home with dirty clothes, spillages,'bumps' and In the Night Garden as if they have always been here.

So now to the stage fright part.
I have been dabbling in knitting and sewing and generally making things for years, and now I actually have two little people to wear my creations, I can't make things anymore.

I really do have stage fright. I am embarrassed to add, my son is wearing a hat which someone bought for him that doesnt even fit him. My dreams of having the cutest little darlings dressed head to toe in handmade has turned into 50p mass produced gloves and ill fitting headwear.

I must add that this isnt because I dont get a minutes peace now they've arrived, they sleep really well and go to bed early, and if I was in my right mind I could spend that free time knitting, rather than mopping, but I seem to have developed a fear that they will see me knitting or sewing and be excited for the finished product only to then be disapointed when its so big they can't stand up in it or so small it gets stuck. You can't shout "peepo" if your head wont come out of the neck of your jumper!

So, the way I see it, I have two choices, either I join a knitting group that I recently found locally and sneak off when they are in bed to meet someones granny who will help me to get things right, or I give up and accept that 50p gloves and very clean floors will be my future....hmmmm....

Good news, sad news, sailor jerrys and a rasberry.

Well, what a week its been since I last made my pledge. A health scare, a riot, a dear friend losing a dear friend, topped off by a raspberry in my face and I'm drinking sailor Jerry's as I write.

So where are the hearts?
I started as I promised, one for each day, but as the days became filled with sadness and worry, the hearts stopped flowing. Knitting seemed so inappropriate, in the grand scale of things, hearts were the last thing I wanted to think about...
Now I think about it they should've been the first. What does a person need more than a heart when they are sad, a gift from a friend, a brightly coloured heart shaped comforter to snuggle up to, or throw at the person who's upset them. (that one would of course be filled with something heavier than the usual cushion fluff) and may be used as a suitable weapon against rioters.
  
So here they are, the ones that I did before I gave up, stay tuned for the ones I will do now I have re-alised their significance.

Id forgotten that knitting isn't just about two sticks and some wool and perhaps something nice at the end. Its about distraction, calm, creation and ultimately smiles.
I received a gift today from a very good friend, passed over from a relative of hers. It was a bag full of knitting needles, some wool and some projects half finished, waiting to be made and worn.
That brought it home to me, once you start, even if you stop, you can still bring joy to others,what could be more exciting than something already half way to being worn.

 I'm itching to get on with them, not stuck halfway through, in a jumpery sort of way a metaphor for life I think.

A naughty story

Ok, here we go. Day one of the heart challenge, and who would've guessed it but I was lucky enough to get a lovely story to tell you with this one. First things first, the heart ....

Next things next, the story.....

So there I was sitting on the bus on my way home, putting the finishing touches to the pale blue ensemble above, when the chap sat next to me tapped me on the shoulder and asked what I was knitting.

I tried to show him that it was a heart but I don't think he was convinced, to be fair it was on three needles at the time and slightly scrunched up half in half out of my handbag.

He then went on to ask "would you like to hear a naughty story?" Now generally when someone asks me this kind of question on the bus I run a mile, get off at the next stop and then walk a mile, but on this occasion he seemed a sweet old man so I nodded cautiously with a tenatative smile.

"Well" he said "My mum was a big knitter when I was a child, we would come home from school and sneak in as quietly as we could because she would be knitting, listening to the radio, making tea, and (when we well off enough to own one) watching televion all at the same time." Talk about multi-tasking! "Anyway" he said " one year she had knitted me a pale blue V neck jumper, with long sleeves and everything!" (Picture a massive big smile on his face. "It was to be my christmas present, but I didn't want to wait, I had a dance coming up with a special young lady that I knew would be there", so he said..."and here's the naughty bit"...."I stole it out of her wardrobe, wore it to the dance, and then put it back in the wardrobe and pretended to be surprised on Christmas Day!"

All I can say is let's go back to those days where stealing a jumper becomes a naughty story and where tennage boys are proud of their mothers for their ability to keep them warm and snuggly in a jumper made to match their eyes."With long sleeves and everything!"

A pledge

Oh dear, its been a bit too long, I'd actually forgotten my password,... senior moment,... or poor blogger? 
I will let you decide.
So, what's been happening since I was last around?
 In a nutshell. I finished the cheering up jumper, which co-incided (fortunately) with a life event that required major cheering up. It was exactly twice as big as it should've been, and used four times less wool than I had bought. If anyone out there would like to make themselves an item of clothing in cheering up yellow, let me know, I have a drawer full of the required material!
I also started an etsy shop, and last week got a lovely message from a lady who said she loved one of my scarves, not quite enough to part with £5 for it it seems but still a very welcome comment all the same.
I've continued to knit whilst I've been away, but wont be wearing much of it until the weather changes, heatwave + wooly item + sweaty betty! (is that how you spell wooly and sweaty?)
Anyway, after a lovely afternoon in Heaton park with two of my fabulous friends (complete with cupcakes) I've been inspired to get back into blogging (blogging is old fashioned Susies middle name)(one of my fabulous friends), and so in order to brighten up this blog I pledge to put more pics on (including the cheering up jumper if you so wish) and as I have read my way through the paperback contents of Oxfam I also pledge that on my bus journey to work each morning rather than re-read my Oxfam purchases I will knit a woollen heart every day, and post it here until you never ever want to see a picture of a heart again.
Watch this space .....

"Kitting sticks"

No, it's not a spelling mistake, she really did say kitting sticks. Well to be exact, she said , "you get bus often? If I get kitting sticks, you show how to poke in string?" I'm guessing that she meant that if she would be seeing me regularly would I be willing to show her how to knit. 
I was flattered that she thought me capable, particularly as I had dropped a few stitches getting it out of my handbag, and then missed a few whilst she was talking to me.
She was clearly mesmerised, as she missed her stop watching me knitting nervously as she peered over my shoulder.
I'm sure many have thought me odd knitting in public, but it's my cigarette, my anti-depressant, my not biting my nails deterrent, so I have to do it wherever I go. Of course most of it wont get worn now that the weather is changing, but I will be well prepared for next winter, and hopefully well practised enough to not miss stitches when I try to talk at the same time.
I left the bus today with a smile on my face, and a scarf in my bag, and tomorrow, I might just have a spare pair of "kitting sticks" with me incase we bump into eachother again.

A day trip

To celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary my husband and I planned a day trip to Glasgow. Yes a day trip, you might laugh at the thought of travelling so far twice in a day, but my husband just loves driving, so whilst I dozed off we made it 280 miles in 2 1/2 hours. Yes, I can do the maths, and guess he probably broke the law at some point along the way!
Id mapped out a route around the city, taking in the most interesting shopping sites.
First up was a centre of 32 jewellers. "Its a vintage gucci watch I want","I could buy 3 cars from ebay for the price of that"was the response.
After several miles of walking, a trip through the Vivienne Westwood shop and a drool at the beautiful architecture what did I take home?.....
Three pairs of brightly coloured vintage knitting needles, astonishment at the young couple who ate a full english breakfast and drank a bottle of rose wine with it, and the memory of a bright pink balloon floating in the window of a beautiful apartment looking out across a city park.

The cheering up jumper

I've had some bad news recently and have therefore been relying on the cheering up jumper rather heavily.
I was using it to conquer my fear of trains in order to be able to visit someone in hospital when the old chap (who had been asleep for most of the journey) woke with a start and asked "are you a Blackpool fan?" I replied that I don't really follow football, but if I had to name one team it would be Manchester City (ah the memories of feeding city ted boiled egg yoke all come flooding back). "ah, he replied, only I just wondered why you would be knitting with such a vile colour and thought it might be because its the colour of your favourite football team." I supposed anyone with a bit more courage would've defended the jumper and explained how it was my 'cheering up jumper', and had successfully nursed me through flu, and was at that moment controlling my desire to run screaming from the train in a claustrophobic panic. However in my usual meek way I simply said the wool was cheap and it was my first attempt at a jumper so I didn't want to spend a lot of money incase I messed up. How pathetic!I then went on to explain that I too thought the colour was garish, but at least I would be easily recognisable if he met me again on the train, particularly if I was wearing it.
 He said that when he was younger he had a shirt the same colour and everyone called him horrible names because of it, until a famous group started wearing the same colour and then he was "the talk of the town". Ah well, perhaps  JLS will make a style decision which will make me and the cheering up jumper popular eventually...

Bargain hunting

I was off bargain hunting yesterday at Dagfields antiques centre which is to me as the chocolate factory is to Charlie.
I found a vintage sewing kit which I stripped out and relined so that I can keep all my large needles in there. I'm always losing them, which is why it took me a while to finish my project because I had to find them before I could make use of my new device for not losing them.
I also bought a lamp which according to the label is from The Orient Express. I have no idea if this is true, but it does have a copper label on it which says so, so I'm going with the fantasy.
I also bought a knitting book from the 70s which has fabulous patterns it, one of which is for a knitted set of trousers and matching jumper for a small boy, (well not really that small, the little boy in the picture looked around 8 years old) it also has matching cardies for a Dad and son to wear whilst they stand leaning on the car having man chats (as demonstrated in the photograph).
I'm not confident in my pattern reading skills just yet, so I've bought the book in the hope it will break me in gently, but the pattern I love the most has the most confusing instructions, my eyes glazed over just pre-reading them so it will definately be one for the future, I will stick with the father and son cardies for now!

Yellow for cheering up purposes

Ive had the flu all weekend, boooo! but on the positive side its given me plenty of time for knitting. Earlier in the week I'd bought some bright yellow wool which I spotted from a distance in a charity shop window and just had to have. Its proved the perfect thing to occupy my time whilst layed up coughing and sneezing. I wouldnt go so far as to say its nearly finished yet but but it's definately past the stage where it could be 'anything' and actually looks like it might be 'something'. The only problem is (without going into too much detail) Ive been coughing and sneezing whilst making it so I will definately be giving it a good wash before wearing it to avoid re-infection!

So what else have I been up to? Ive bought some beautiful embroidered brooches to go with my new pastel cotton scarves, and ive finally finished my hat and scarf set that has been waiitng for a wooden button for months, and now it has one, doesnt really need one.

.

Ive also been making presents for my friends, again which are now waiting for magic buttons to add the finishing touch. Oh and I also found a brilliant pattern for knitting hearts, which I then used to knit my husband a heart (which he is clearly over the moon with because its still on the coffee table 4 weeks after I made it for him, and on that subject, I havent been able to go out and get my husband a valentines day card so I will be spending the rest of the day in my sick bed making him one.....now where did I put that glitter?....

Bits completed so far(because no pics is boring)

Excessive buying

Hello again,
time flies, flyes? especially when you are shopping for wool in the sales. I went to Abakhan for some wool that knits like fur, I got a parker for christmas and want some mitts to match the hood lining. Anyway to cut a long story short they had a sale on which meant I spent far longer in there looking at fabric (which I then decided I didnt need anyway because I still havent done anything with the last two lots I bought!)
I finally made my way to the back of the shop (the wool part) but of course it was 2 for one on the wool I wanted, so rather than buy what I needed I ended up buying BOGOF wool and now have more balls of 'knit to look like fur' wool than I could ever need even if I wanted to knit a lifesize replica of a very hairy polar bear! (If you want anything furry get in touch).
I also bought some beautiful pale blue and pale gold stuff, I say stuff because its not wool,and its not material but something inbetween. The colours are a little bit 40s so I just had to have it.
Ive decided I need to move to the next stage, scarves, bags and mitts are all very well, but I feel ridiculous buying Primarnie jumpers and calling myself a knitter, so after buying a 70s style jumper with batwing arms which I've decided is very much shaped like two triangles I am determind to take the plunge into an actual full jumper. I dont know how to increase.....or decrease, but Im determind to learn this week and begin the epic jumper over the weekend. Hopefuly by the time Ive finished it will still be cold enought to wear it, otherwise it might end up being a Christmas present for someone later in the year.
Aside from knitting I was inspired by a rug in an antique shop to get back into my rag rugging and so started yet another rag rug, this time with a heart as the centre piece. I had enough red t-shirts to do the outline for the heart, but my bag of old clothes mainly comes from my husbands wardrobe so the remaining material is made up of black t-shirts that have washed to grey and white t -shirts that have washed to grey....so that would be lots of grey. If anyone knows of any charity shops selling very bright coloured clothing at very cheap prices please shout up, other wise the rug will be looking very dreary.
Well as sad as it sounds Im desperate to get back to knitting with my 'stuff' so I'm off for now,....perhaps I could buy a cat to sit in the drawer of 'knit to fur' wool so I dont feel so wasteful, mmmm....I wonder?