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What’s on the Needles February 2015?

I’m just sneaking in under the wire to have a look at what on the needles in February compared to last month, and I have to say, knowing this post was coming up was motivation to get some projects finally finished.

The Kiri shawl is done and blocking upstairs as I write this – finished on a long car trip to see granny at the weekend (including cast off in the gloom on the way home. I pretty much got away with it.) Assuming I can keep the pins in it while it dries (CR is carefully re-arranging them every chance she can get), I’ll blog about that later in the week.

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The cowl for CR took much longer than it should of, mostly because there hasn’t been any uninterrupted knitting time to be had recently, and any attempts to work on it were punctuated by two small people wanted to sit on my lap. But now it is done, still in time for the proper chilly weather we’ve been having here recently, and frankly doesn’t really need a block because I want to keep it as squooshy as possible.

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It was a fluke, but it goes really well with the body warmer CP got for Christmas. (Why yes, that her most requested ‘coat’ despite it being February – can you tell she’s about to be 2?)

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Of course if she ever gets sick of it, it turns out it’s a really good fit for me too…  😉

The socks from last month are no further on but there are next on my list of things to work on. (Pretty much…)

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They still look great though.

Let’s not talk about the rug (except to say that I bought one from Ikea that is in the front room and I’m really happy with it.)

Anyway…

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goodbye Winter…

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…roll on Spring!

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Right Now – chopping card at speed in a coffee shop

Right now…

W is at home, doing maths, and lego and documentaries, and our reading programme with the children* and I am in the nearby coffee shop chopping up the next unit of said reading programme ready for next week, updating the blog, finishing some website work for a friend of mine (who’s books you should read), and doing the weekly shop online.

20150219_090816(cue the fuzzy phone photos)

I should have got a second drink while it was quiet, and now there is a queue of people and I don’t want to leave my things unattended. 🙁

20150219_090827(I love when disparate hand knits work together)

I didn’t even brush my hair this morning!

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*Do to completely forseen circumstances that were still beyond our control (but that we were at least able to prepare for), W only has half a job at the moment. This is hard for us, but we are grateful for the half-job at least. And currently it means I have one day a week where he can be in charge at home, and I can get things-that-can’t-be-done-easily-around-the-children done. Which is nice, especially right now when a combination of cold weather, cold house, and small children who still need me at night, means that I am getting next to no evenings at the moment. However I’d give it up in a heartbeat for him to have a full time job.

Hopefully things will improve on all fronts later in the year. But right now we are trying to live as gently as we can.

Wow. That got a little more personal than usual.

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Keep an eye on my twitter, or the blog on Saturday morning, for information about the 30% off Birthday Flash Sale.

 

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What’s on the needles January 2015?

Kiri shawl wip Jan 2015

Kiri – This languished over the first part of the winter as I got on with Christmas things, but it’s Malabrigo, and I’m probably only about three pattern repeats from the end. The problem is that every time I try to knit it, someone wants to sit on my lap. But I just need to get it done, so that I can actually wear it while it’s still cold. And it’s mostly still cold. Especially when the wind is blowing as hard as it has been recently.

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Sock – I bought myself some Regia for my Christmas Stocking this year, and promptly started a sock on Christmas day. This is my out and about sock, but for some reason I actually haven’t been working on it much in the last couple of weeks.

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CP’s Cowl – I knit LR a cowl (to replace the one she snipped into last year – yeah it’s was pretty horrifying, but she was 3), in a single session while I was in bed ill, watching Leverage. W was adventuring at the University Museum. It was heaven and just what I needed. I started CP’s cowl straight after, because although she will probably only agree to wear it when it’s REALLY COLD (and who knows if it will get REALLY COLD this year?) but I wanted to have it done, then it’s done and then all three have cowls that will work for the next few years. And now I’ve stalled (because it’s not REALLY COLD and she is nearly 2 and probably will scream blue murder when I try to put it on her.) But I need to get it done.

stripey swatch

Stripey Swatch – The BFF destashed and I got the goodies, which is great because I can’t afford to buy garments worth of yarn right now. This was potentially going to be a stripey Effervescence Cardigan (assuming the swatch worked out) but the swatch was too stiff on the suggested needles, so now I think it’s probably going to be it’s own thing. I need to try the stitch pattern, with the striping to see if it’s really bad or not, and then go from there. (Yeah, I’m not sure what I’m doing, but the colours look really wearable, and I’m looking forward to another go-to cardigan for next autumn.

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The rug – I stalled. Mostly because having a toddler around it a bit like having a cat around, when it comes to having a box full of actively-being-used yarn around. But it’s good fun knitting something this big, and it will look great when it’s done, and most of the yarn is sitting there waiting to be knit up. So mostly it’s about getting my evenings back to work on it.

(Also – wow there is a theme there isn’t there, now that I can see all the photos together.)

I wonder what I can get finished before my ‘What’s on the needles February 2015?’ post next month?

What’s on your needles right now?