still here, honest!!

Yep I'm still here folks.

My poor blog is feeling neglected lately, this darn new job is taking its toll.I really must be stricter with myself and leave work on time. Saying that i did so yesterday and ended up spending 1.45 hours sat in traffic on the motorway!! unfortunately it wasn't a complete standstill, moving like a snail so i couldn't knit!!

so what have i been up to? well Juliet is finally all finished, my Debbie bliss pullover is almost complete, I have started some Christmas socks and have picked up my sostiii again. Trouble with sots is that i have to concentrate and I'm so blooming knackered i can never do more than a row.
Cant do pics as the camera is well and truly dead so you ll have to wait.

Posty has been good to me this week, lets knit and simply knitting fell through the box as did Maggie's seftons latest novel, fleece navidad.so have been reading... actually being more a reader than knitter truth be known!! but need to get my arms in gear as Christmas is approaching rapidly and yet again have not got much knit. Need to knit for my Christmas swap pal too, have her goodies just need to knit for her.....must decide on the item....

Knitting pattern & magazine sales are going well so I will soon have enough to go to the local yarn store for a splurge, fancy a real big snug chunky knit, may even try some cables....I am so going to take a day off work just for me... I feel I have earned it after the past 2 months in my new job.... god knows why i wanted a job with more autonomy, its blooming stressful, on the positive side a friend just came to visit and commented on my weight loss, I hadn't even noticed but she says its definitely so... whoppeeeeeeeee at long last....

Home life ticks over we are just in the process of applying for secondary school for my eldest its a tough choice, at 10 he wants to go with his friends but as parents we want the best, but at the end of the day its down to the education authority, all 3 schools we have applied for are good so we shall see. I really want him to continue in a faith school, and 2 of the choices are so I am hoping it will be good news. Poor soul has to take an entrance test for the cathedral choir school, its a great school but I feel so bad at him having to be tested and if he doesn't get a place he will feel a failure :0( but then if he gets the school he wants he will be happy, its a good school, and is a catholic college so i will be happy.

well best off, have an hour of peace left before the males come home from rugby...am going to sit drink coffee and knit....

still here, honest!!

Blogversary...

OMG

well its a year today that I started my blog, and boy that seems such a long time ago..

I had planned to do the whole blogversary thing but as usual have been so darn busy i didnt realise till now it was blogversary day!!

Its so strange it seems like a lifetime away, My life has changed so much since then and i'm glad to say my knittings a whole lot better.. perhaps this time next year i will be able to say the same about my Crochet.....

Amazing Autumn Coffee swap......

My name is Angie and I am a knit swap addict........................

yep theres a new swap on the block, this is in addition to the Christmas swap.....

This one is:

The Amazing Autumn coffee swap

I have done the coffee swaps before and they are always well run and great fun, so go check it out.... here's my questionnaire

Questionnaire
About Your Yarn Passion
1. Do you knit, crochet, or do both? BOTH. When did you first learn? I learnt both in my early teens about 13 'ish may have been earlier. My knitting is the more favoured as my crochet skills are basic, but i would really love to be able to crochet the little amigurumi figures!!!

2. Do you like using a particular type of needle or hook? (wood, metal, straight, circular) Is there something you've been wanting to try, or a particular size you always seem to be short on?
I really don't get on with DPNS, I prefer straights or circulars. I use both metal or wood depending on what yarn I am using. I would love some real funky chunky straight needles in 10.5 mm as i am about to go large with my knitting.... I also need to find a comfortable crochet hook, mine are metal and so slippy...

3. What kind of projects do you enjoy making? Any types you just haven't ever gotten into as much as others? I love to knit socks, really want to do the babette blanket when my crochet is up to speed, and I'm recently getting addicted to chunky knitting... some thing to do with the weather...

4. What's on your needles\hook right now? What's your oldest UFO (unfinished object)? sotsiii, socks, chunky v'neck pullover, and some practice crochet squares. my oldest unfinished project is sotsii

5. If you were going on vacation tomorrow, what project(s) would travel with you?
socks or some crochet, never take anything big, needs to be a simple knit too.

6. What are your favorite types of yarns? Any you're allergic too, or just hate working with? Anything in particular you've been dying to try? I used to be a yarn snob.... but now I'm open to anything, its the colour more than anything which attracts me to yarn, i do hate scratchy acrylics though...

7. What sort of colors do you love in yarns? Brights? Pastels? More muted colors? Variegated? Are there any you can't stand? Hate acidic colours, prefer more muted shades, currently, creams, coffees and subtle pinks & raspberries, also like soft cool blues. variegated depends on what I am knitting.

Your Coffee Passion

1. Do you prefer caffeinated or not? definitely caffeinated!

2. Whole bean or ground? For what type of pot or press? don't have a grinder so ground.. have a coffee peculator thingy!!

3. What types of roasts do you enjoy? Are you more the light and lively or dark and robust type? definitely dark & robust

4. How do you 'take' your coffee? Creamers? Sweetener? Other add ins? just with semi skimmed milk.hate creamers.

5. That first morning cup - is it about the taste, or the caffeine? the taste

6. Do you enjoy going out to coffee shops like Starbucks? What are some of your favorites? love going to any coffee stores for cappuchino's or mocha's

7. You've just made the perfect cup of coffee - is it in a thick mug, or a thinner cup? Where would you sit to drink it? a great huge thick mug, sat by the fireside, curled up on the sofa.

8. You're enjoying that perfect cup, and have a magic cabinet in your kitchen - when you open it, magically, your favorite treats will appear to enjoy alongside the coffee - what are they? Are they sweet? Crunchy? Soft and flaky? dark chocolate , crunchy honeycomb and mallows..


All about YOU!

1. Do you have other hobbies like spinning or scrapbooking? am just about to start trying to dye yarn, also have a drop spindle which i am still to be brave enough to try. Love to bead as well.


2. Do you collect anything? apart from yarn ? Angels & Fairies.

3. What is your favorite part of Autumn? The colours of the leaves, the crisp air and being able to stay indoors by a roaring log fire knitting..

4. What sort of scents do you enjoy? Any difference in what you like for your house versus what you like for your body? like clean fresh smells in the house, but deeper musky scents for me..

5. Are you allergic to anything? no

6. Are you on Ravelry? What's your ID? yep, knittynutter

7. How would you spend an ideal fall afternoon/day? to start a lovely long crisp walk with the dog along the beach..then, curled up on the sofa with my doggy, infront of the log fire, with a steaming mug of cappuchino, a great girly movie on the tv and hours of uninterrupted knitting... and perhaps a small selection of gorgeous dark chocolate to nibble...

Still here.

I'm still here just been so busy haven't had time to blog, and to be honest I'm spending much of my days sat at a computer so the last thing I want to do at home is go sit at the pc again...

But I'm here now!!!

So what have a I been up to?
Not a lot really except from working...

sotsiii is at somewhat of a standstill, I haven't quit I just find that I'm so tired in the evenings I cant concentrate on the pattern.... it is coming along slowly and it will get finished, especially as I now have a fab holiday booked for next Summer, and this will be just the thing for a chilly evening.

Juliet is finished and I will try to get a piccie done for the weekend...

my Debbie bliss v neck pullover is 3/4 finished..and am loving the pattern...

I have also started a pair of Christmas gift socks, gorgeous shades of lilac & cream....

I have also had a reading head on off late and have read the 5th Maggie Seton knitting mystery, and also Needles & purls by Gill McNeil, which is her 2nd book about a woman who takes over a yarn store.. lovely story... and theres obviously going to be another book to follow....

I have been assigned my Christmas swap pal so am going to start knitting her a Christmas gift for her box...


The only other thing I have done is to start sorting my knitting mags I have hundreds and to be honest once I have read them I do nothing with them apart from store them, so took the brave decision to sell them, I only listed them on ebay yesterday night but have already sold 5!!
I'm not mad but am seriously going to take a day off to relax, which means knitting... so I thought if I sold some mags I could take some of the profits to the yarn store and treat myself and not feel guilty.... bliss... I really want to knit a big sweater to keep me warm, which will cost a few bucks , and cant really take it from our income.... darn credit crunch... so whats a girl to do....

I'm thinking a knitting day late October, cold & dark, so I can light the fire and knit and knit till the boys come home.... and maybe get to watch sex & the city movie, which I have but haven't got around to watching yet....


cant wait......

hello..............

well I've been and now I'm back...

I have to say I had a fab weekend at Butlins...

I never thought I'd say that but hey it was great.

The sun shone, the in-laws were great , hubby & I managed to chill.

No knitting, but I did get to read a whole book which I don't get to do very often these days.

The boys did a fencing class, An archery Class, Did a a Football class, watched the Wrestling, Made friends with a giant robot, shot the tubes in the swimming pool,made friends in the western coral, spent loads of money on a variety of machines, watched there very first live concert, rode the train and played on the beach.... oh and did I say they also went on a huge bouncy pillow, a bouncy castle and did some basketball.. but do you know what they really enjoyed? sitting in an Irish pub watching an Irish fiddle band.. it was a Butlins holiday camp pub so I'm not leading them astray....

all in 2 1/2 days...............................

Then it was full on back into work mode.. which I have to say is starting to take its toll.. Now I love my job, but the pressure is huge..... The last manager did very little and was certainly not effective, so I have a huge amount to do to bring it up to regulatory standards... in 2 months I am already owed 30 hours extra that I have done... I don't get paid overtime... Now I'm thinking 7.5 more hours and I could take a whole week off paid and just knit......

what a lovely dream....

I did manage to pick up sots iii on my return and have actually started hint 2, up to row 78 now, way behind everyone else, but at least I'm still knitting it...

My lovely Debbie Bliss pullover is coming along nicely too, now I like this big needle big yarn thing, almost instant gratification, and such a simple pattern....


Socks, o woe is me,,, I have so much beautiful sock yarn,,, I want to knit Christmas gift socks,,, but for some reason cant find the right pattern.... needs to be simple,,, but not plain..... easy to knit without having to concentrate too much, and needs to go with my girly yarns.... needs to be knit on circulars...HELP................... anyone got any great patterns????????????

Have started the 5th book in the Maggie Sefton knitting mystery series, Dyer consequences, and yes they are predictable, but I love them, just the thing to read in bed with a hot chocolate....

Oh and you know the best thing that happened to me since getting back?

Hubby and I agreed on a holiday that's within budget that we both like....

I am going to Crete !!!! not till 2009 but I am so excited....no tents, no caravans, no English holiday camps... a lovely quiet Greek village, staying in a small complex of apartments, WITH POOL on half board so NO COOKING!!!!!!!!! and 5 min walk to the BEACH............


Cool eh..........................

Off Again...............

Am off this weekend to Butlins Minehead with the in-laws. Grandad wants to visit the places he was evacuated to during the war.

The resort is a real cheesy place to go and stay but the kids will love the entertainment and the swimming pools. The weather forecast is actually good, seems like a little bit of a late summer.

Here some pics I found on the internet,Garys Homepage so you can get a feel of my weekend ahead....

Don't think I'll get much knitting done, its 24 hour entertainment basically all the way through till Monday....

wish me luck

see you all next week....