I am a sock puppet.

I have had a pair of socks on the needles constantly for months now - as soon as one pair is finished, I start on the next. It has become a compulsion almost, and now I am going to justify it! 

First of all, there are so many gorgeous sock yarns out there - everywhere I look! I start most days drooling over one yarn site or another - and have 3 balls of the most gorgeous coloured yarns saved on my e-bay watch list. I have yet to save enough money in pay pal to buy them, and have watched them for almost 60 days now. One day my beauties, you will be mine.

Secondly, Mr Juicy has been wearing the last two pairs I knit for him in a 'wash wear' rotation for weeks now - so I NEED to knit him some more, what with winter coming up and us no longer having a tumble dryer etc etc....

Thirdly - I have still got about 6 different sock yarns to use up in my sock yarn stash trunk, it would be a shame for them to sit there unused.

fourthly - there are oodles of amazing sock patterns out there that are begging to be knit, can you hear them? "knit me, knit me"

fifthly - socks are small practical projects that can be carried any ware with you to fill in those boring moments, e.g. sitting outside a shop waiting for husband/daughter, in hospital/dentist/doctors waiting room, and perfect to take to a knit and natter if you are just knitting round and round - you can't make a mistake while getting all the juicy gossip.

and sixthly - oh, I am sure there are a million other reasons! can I not just LOVE knitting socks?

My latest socks on the needles in an amazing Opal self patterning yarn - for more details of the yarn and the VERY basic pattern, click on the photo to take you to my Ravely page.

a little bit of everything.

All sorts of life has happened since I last blogged, some good, some bad. 

I thought it was about time I did a quick catch up, but just the good stuff! 

on 24th August my brilliant Grandma was 98 years young. I knit a pair of socks for her in bright stripey colours. Anyone who has read my blog will know she was a sock knitter since WW2 when she was passed 5 needles and an ounce of sock wool in her local yarn shop and told "you never had a better chance to learn" - however she was convinced until getting her new socks that sock wool only came in grey. I would love to take her to a yarn shop and show her all the amazing colours there are now.

I also gave her some small tatted ornamental hangings bought from a leprosy charity in India. She was an amazing tatter. I explained where I had got them from and that no - I still had not got the hang of tatting. She declared she would tell everyone in the home that I made them anyway, and that she was incredibly proud of my tatting skills. Thanks Gran.

Earlier in the year a project had started to "Yarn Bomb the Castle" - the castle in question being Clitheroe Castle - the nearest town to us, just 4 miles away. 

This had caused some controversy in our local paper after a Clitheroe craft shop owner wrote in to say what a dreadful idea this was, and that we should all be knitting baby clothes for Africa. It was a long story and I did end up writing a letter in response and getting quite irate about the whole thing (I am not one for writing to papers!) 

Anyway - nearly every local knitter I know ended up knitting 5" squares for the project. Our little knit and natter group made hundreds and my mum took it upon herself to sew them into strips. This was so the strips could be wrapped around things then taken down and made into blankets. Her living room was full of huge wheels of colour. 

On Saturday 25th August it poured down! This was the day of the "Clitheroe Torchlight Procession" an event held every 10 years, and the yarn bombing coincided with this event - and even though the castle itself remained un-bombed the trees, railings, signs etc were covered in wool - it looked really good! 

September is the month we all say "oh no! it's less than 4 months to Christmas!"
I have been wracking my brains for gifts that don't cost much as we are still completely skint, but that have time and love put in to them - September is the month to plant bulbs that will flower for Christmas - so I have reserved a dark cool space in the shed, will be hunting through my cupboards for vintage dishes, teacups and bowls - and am about to go and peruse the bulb selling websites so I can compare them with prices at our local garden centres. this years motto is to be "BE PREPARED!"

I have so much more to tell, but am going to get started on my Christmas project and will return soon with further adventure! lol