indieknits

More SP goodies

My Secret Pal is very good at spoiling me - on Saturday I received some lovely stitch markers through the post:

Perfect for lace and socks, they are also removable if I need to mark rows! Thank you Secret Pal :)

Yesterday morning I finished these:

Pattern: Undulating Rib Socks from Favorite Socks

Yarn Used: Natural Dye Studio BFL in Amazon Apple

These socks are super stretchy...although I may not be able to wear them for a while. It takes quite a lot of effort to get socks on my feet these days!

I cast on two new projects straightaway yesterday - the Norwegian Woods Scarf and a blanket for baby!

Please Sponsor My Husband!

Just a quickie to let you all know that my husband is doing the London to Windsor Bike Ride for the British Heart Foundation on Sunday 6th September. It's 37 miles of cycling the country roads from Richmond Green to Alexandra Gardens in Windsor.

Please take a look at his Just Giving page and sponsor him for this great cause!

Baby Picchu

On Saturday I completed a Baby Picchu for my little Emms!

Pattern: Baby Picchu by the Berroco Design Team
Yarn Used: Less than 2 skeins of Fyberspates Aran BFL in Purple

Love the pattern, love the yarn. This little cardigan looks so sophisticated! I especially love the ribbing at the neckline. The yarn is super soft, and I have enough left to make a little hat too.

New Projects

I've got the luxury of 4 days off work so have done quite a lot of knitting in the last 24 hours!

I've cast on a Baby Picchu using some gorgeous Fyberspates aranweight BFL...

...finished one of my Undulating Ribs socks...

...and cast on a Zetor Scarf using my Saffran Wolllmeise. I was a little worried that I might not have enough yardage for the Norwegian Woods Scarf, so have decided to put that pattern on ice for now. I lost my knitting mojo a couple of months ago but it is definitely back in full force now!!

I won a prize!

Ali from Tripping Yarns recently took part in the Oxfam Trailwalker 2009 and held a prize draw to raise money. I won a beautiful needlecase, handmade by Jen at Where's Woolly!

I am seriously impressed with her sewing skills. It is so well made.

 

Here's a shot of the inside. As you can see she also included some stitch markers (also handmade by Jen!) and Knit Picks DPNs - my fave needles.

 

It's not too late to donate to the cause - just head over Team Geek's Just Giving page. She and her team did such a great job that day.

Also, the other day I arrived home to the best postcard ever! A handknitted one sent by my Secret Pal!

  

Such a great idea. It made me smile lots.

ETA: I'm such a donut! My SP also sent me a lovely bath bomb!! I forgot to take a picture of it, but trust me it was gorgeous. I really enjoyed that soak in the tub!

22 week scan

I had my 22 week scan yesterday! Check her out - she looks like she has a cheeky grin on her face!

Also had an hour and a half wait for ten minutes with a midwife (!!!) who said that everything is perfect. Yay!

My mum visited this weekend and bought us a load of baby things!! We hit Oxford Street nice and early, we only visited Mothercare and John Lewis but it was enough to whack me out for the whole weekend. She bought a gorgeous moses basket (along with a stand, mattress and sheets), a baby monitor, bath, bouncy chair, changing mat and a handy bag for me to store essentials when we're out and about. Thanks mum!!

Shawl planning...I love it.

I collected my skein of Wollmeise from the post office yesterday morning and knew that it had to become a shawl:

 

I always like to knit shawls with my Wollmeise 100% Merino - Any sock yarn without nylon tends to wear out pretty quickly on my feet. Getting my hands on Wollmeise is always such a result that I couldn't bear to throw the socks out after 6 months.

After lots of pattern hunting, I stumbled upon the Norwegian Woods Scarf over at Yuvee's blog and just like Yuvee, fell instantly in love. I just need to check the yardage and make sure I have enough! Otherwise this will be knitted with a laceweight in my stash...

Thank Goodness

I have finally finished The Most Boring Socks In The World!!! Seriously, that is the last time I knit plain stockinette stitch socks.

They were worth it though, because they look lovely:

Pattern: No pattern followed
Yarn Used: Noro Kureyon Sock in shade S40

Next up: Undulating Rib Socks in Natural Dye Studio BFL, and something lacey in Wollmeise.

Secret Pal Package!

Yesterday I received a package from my Secret Pal! She cleverly knew that I had just moved into a flat with a garden, and sent me some plants to get me started!

 

Included in the package was a Moneyplant, an Easter Cactus, oregano, mint, thyme and chives!

Thank you Secret Pal!

Booties!

Knitting booties whilst you're pregnant is such a cliche! haha. But why resist when there are so many gorgeous patterns about?

Pattern: Saartje's Bootees by Saartje de Bruijn

Yarn Used: Knit Picks Gloss in Concorde Grape