Thursday 30 December 2010

A Jumper for MEeee!

OK. Knitting for other people officially abandoned for a little while. Time for knitting for Me.
I really don't do that very often.

Grannie gave me a few balls of gorgeous really really chunky wool for Christmas, so I decided to find a pattern right away for a jumper for me to make from them. This would be a first! I found this really hard to do when putting into ravelry that it had to be free. So I decided to go with another first and actually paid actual money for a pattern. Its called Nati and its insanely simple but really nice.

It took very little time to knit it up and finish it off. And that included another nother first - blocking. I'd given this one go before with a scarf, and, well, got bored and shoved it in the dryer after all. This time I actually managed to do it properly (I think) and so YAY! It could to be honest do with some more stretching out, but for the moment it is actually great so I don't really care!

Saturday 25 December 2010

Crazy Christmas knitting countdown, the Final Tally

To do list:
1:scarf done
2:scarf done
3:scarf
4:dalek done
5:ruddy jumper for dad that has been on the go since April. done
6:secret Santa warwick edition done
7:secret Santa Poole edition done
8:socks replaced with elephant done
9:brother presents
10:snu
11:penguin with hat replaced this with tiny turtle. done
12:grim squeaker.



Leftovers: scarf for Heather - she can have it for New Year's
                Brother present - no idea, but I've got until Monday
                Snu - Monday
                grim squeaker - nearly done, and for Monday.


That may even be possible.

The End of An Era, or Merry Christmas To All, and To All A Good Knit

ITS DONE!!!! ITS DONE!!!! EVERYONE SING HALLELUJAH, IT IS DONE!
My Dad's jumper : started April 2010 as a birthday present for him (June 1st) finished 25th December 2010, 2:17am.

We got back from Midnight Mass about 12:30am. I still had the decreasing rows of one sleeve to do, even after the fairly constant knitting over the past two weeks. This took over 90 minutes, and then the finishing of sewing up the sleeve seam, and attaching the sleeve to the body. But IT IS DONE!

This is totally awesome.
And and and and and what is more, he's been wearing it ever since I gave it to him earlier today! Yays!

BTW, I wish I had actually listened to Suzz just a little bit more this term as she continuously told me that I should in fact not start new exciting projects but should knit the silly jumper. She was (depressingly) continuously right all term. Bah Humbug!

Merry Christmas everyone!
Christ has come to save us, and we shall now rejoice!

Thursday 23 December 2010

Crazy Christmas knitting countdown update 3

To do list:
1:scarf done
2:scarf done
3:scarf
4:dalek almost done
5:ruddy jumper for dad that has been on the go since April.
6:secret Santa warwick edition done
7:secret Santa Poole edition done
8:socks replaced with elephant done, cause they are totally the same thing anyway. Right? I mean, one goes on your feet, one has a trunk, they're basically the same!
9:brother presents
10:snu
11:penguin with hat replaced this with tiny turtle. done

12:grim squeaker.


hmm.
this doesn't appear to be getting shorter, and there's today and tomorrow to go. 
Yeah. not going to happen. Oh wells. 

Sunday 19 December 2010

Crazy Christmas knitting countdown update 2

To do list:
1:scarf done
2:scarf done
3:scarf
4:dalek almost done
5:ruddy jumper for dad that has been on the go since April. Well. I've done a sleeve. It now has a back a front and a left sleeve. That's almost like a completed jumper right?
6:secret Santa warwick edition done
7:secret Santa Poole edition done
8:socks
9:brother presents
10:snu
11:penguin with hat replaced this with tiny turtle. done

5 full days remaining. Wish me luck.

Thursday 16 December 2010

Crazy Christmas knitting countdown update 1

To do list:
1:scarf done
2:scarf
3:scarf
4:dalek almost done
5:ruddy jumper for dad that has been on the go since April
6:secret Santa warwick edition done
7:secret Santa Poole edition done
8:socks
9:brother presents
10:snu
11:penguin with hat



So, to sum up two more days and only one more project completed. This is so not going to get done before Christmas. Although Dalek and scarf mark 2 are both really near completion, and Dad's jumper has improved considerably. 


I'm so screwed.

Tuesday 14 December 2010

Crazy Christmas knitting countdown

To do list:
1:scarf done
2:scarf
3:scarf
4:dalek almost done
5:ruddy jumper for dad that has been on the go since April
6:secret Santa warwick edition done
7:secret Santa Poole edition
8:socks
9:brother present
10:snu
11:penguin with hat

and 9 days remaining


Hmmmmm....
Stay tuned for progress or lack thereof. Alternatively don't and live a nearly normal life happily ignoring my random musings and more likely grumblings since I cannot physically make the deadlines I have set myself here. Well I mean I can't make the knits in the time. God set the deadline. Not me. Where'd I put my drink?

Friday 10 December 2010

Penguins of happyness

I joined in Rev's angels and mortals thing this term - think secret santa all term long. Twas awesome. I got given Ben and Jerrys, a hug, alcohol, a really confusing note, and a ball of awesome wool. Thanks Ellen!
Even more fun was giving Emma (Hastings) pressies, cause she was my mortal. She got truly random things. A pineapple. Glitter glue pens.
I wanted to knit her something from the start as well, but knew she would instantly cotton on to who her angel was if I did that, so I left knitting a present till the last week of term. I was going to knit her a turtle, and give her some chocolate coins, but when I went to wilkos I found awesome chocolate penguins. So clearly the knitted project HAD to be a penguin. right? So Ravelry to the rescue again. There was a fairly cool project for feathers McGraw, from Wallace and Gromit, and so clearly that was going to be the best random happy christmas knit I could find.
Was really easy too. A good thing, since I got home at 2 on Tuesday, and left at 5 for Rev. WEll, pre Rev, but the same difference, cause I went via the chaplaincy to drop off said penguins. About half 6 Emma got to the chaplaincy. I know because I got a text from her saying something along the lines of 'Do I by any chance owe you thanks? :)'
Knew she'd get it in one. :D

oh. btw, this was not the pattern I was intending to knit Emma as a mortal present. That will have to wait for another day cause I ran out of time.

Needle Roll of Happyness

Jen gave me a (somewhat belated but AWESOME) birthday present today. A really pretty and awesome needle roll! Its soo pretty! So I just spent the last half hour or so filling it up with needles. My gran gave me her lifetime's stash of needles and wool - all of the wool was beige. Beige. I mean, really? but still its awesome wool - so I have many many needles. I have 16 number 11s, and 11 number 10s. I never even use that thin wool. But its cool.
I have also just spent some time wandering around my house probably irritating my housemates by saying "it's really pretty!" In case people hadn't noticed I would just like to officially say - it's really pretty!

Now all I need to do is sort out all the wool all over my room so I can take what I want for the next month home tomorrow. That shouldn't take more than about 2 days. Hang on. Let me do the math on that.