2018

Happy New Year.

Heres to another year filled with new projects, new yarns and great knitting events. How was your Christmas?  Its always a quiet event here as all our extended family are in Northumberland but we had a lovely time. This was our first year  as empty nesters and I have to say it was just great. Phoebe came home on the 20th so that really started the festivities for us. The 22nd me and my girls went to The Salt House on Ipwich Waterfront for afternoon tea and we did little table gifts, there was such a lovely atmosphere and afternoon tea there seems to be very popular as all the tables were groaning under the tiers of cake and sandwiches etc. Walking home it was so cheerful seeing some of the boats  lit up with fairy lights.

Christmas Eve we went to Lucys for dinner, another new tradition. Lucys the foodie in our family, shes a great cook. Her and Phoebe had spent most of the day cooking and theyd made a chocolate cake that was fabulous. We watched Elf, Ive not seen this all the way through only bits of it, but oh I giddy aunt when he burped. Elf is now up there with Uncle Buck my other all time fave film. I surprised myself by actually managing to cast on a pair of socks.

 

 

Casting on something new over Christmas is  all the more fun now as worldwide we all cast on and join Dani with a Christmas Eve cast on. Its been great seeing all the #christmasevecastons2017 on Instagram and ravelry. Im knitting one of my School Socks Rock design using The Yarn Tart yarn Waltzing Matilda.The needles are Hiya Hiya fixed circs. This was a  Christmas kit I sold in Suffolk Socks. It was so popular  in 2016 and Id been asked if Id do it again.

Christmas Day began at 8am with Lucy arriving. she might not live at home but when its Christmas shes a big kid and we all call her Mrs Claus. Whilst her and Phoebe made breakfast Jonathan made Prosecco and Cranberry cocktails. They washed the toast down nicely lol. The rest of the Walters arrived mid day and after food and exchanging of gifts the games began. It was mad. One of the games we played was where you had to mime a word to your partner and they had to lip read what it was.  My  son was playing as he"s deaf and is an expert lip reader , it was obvious him and Lydia would win.It was a laugh and he couldnt get why we couldnt figure out what our partners were miming. The other game was a music one and as Lydia has a degree in music they won that too. next year we're doing games that involve knitting and art so Lucy, Phoebe and myself stand a chance.  Eventually we all collapsed in frontt of the TV.

Boxing Day is always a favourite day, Pjs on for aslong as you want and eating as many sweets as you want. We had a Christmas jigsaw out so Lucy came over so we could do that.

It also had me thinking what new things I was planning to make over the next year and what knitting events to go too. I had posted on IG 9 things Id like to knit but in reality I dont think any of them will get done. Ive got so many patterns in my ravelry library that Ive decided to use some of them.

My first knit  Ive cast on is Flax. A design from Tin Can Knits. I love their designs, their patterns are so easy to read and the sizeing range available is excellent. This is being knit for Thomas, and dare I say it but its for Christmas 2018. Im not in a rush to knit it. Saying that I cant put it downas its such an enjoyable project. Im knitting it using Arranmore from The Fibre Company ands its living in my Vintage bag I made a few years back and Im using Knitpro Zings fixed circs.

My 2nd cast on is a fabulous Curious Handmade design Surprise Party Shawl.No surpise really as I love her designs, Helen makes shawl knitting seem so easy, line by line instructions to keep you on track and always great chat in her ravelry forum. This shawl is knit using all my hand dyed yarns  which are looking a little bit brighter than they are in real life, but its so pretty and its living in my super new project bag that Lydia my DIL to be made me. I was thilled to bits that she'd made me something. Therell be plenty of the contrast colour yarn left so i'll be casting on Land of Sweet Cowl from Knitvent 2017.

My 3rd cast on is another pair of socks. this one is my new design . Ive knit it a few times so I know it works out ok and its gone of to be test knit, but  I suddenly realised that I didnt have any knit to be photographed for the printed pattern. My sons fave film when he was little was Mary Poppins so Ive 3 new designs inspired by this film, my 1st pair are called 'Lets go fly a kite'. Its sharing a bag with my Christmas Eve cast on.

My fourth and final cast on for this blog is Dahlia by Heather Zoppetti. I love this cardi. Ive knit this before having bought the wool at the first Yarndale festival in the softest buttermilk yellow that the stallholder convinced me was a great colour on me, I should have listened to myself because when it was finished I looked awful in it. So once again my Mum who dark colouring suits it better got it. Im using some Eden Cottage yarns 4ply which last year was destined to become a Madewell cardi, but that wasnt to be.

My only cast off apart from the socks that were gifted was my Winterly/Confetti jumper knit using John Arbon Knit By Numbers 4ply which was a joy to knit from start to finish. This is my all time fave yarn at the moment,and this design is a firm favourite and staple in my wardrobehaving now knit 2.Have I said how much I love this jumper and will probably knit another one soon. It does bobble though so ive invested in a de-bobbler.

I cant wait for EYF in March, theres lots of posts on ravelry and IG about the event and a list of pocasters  that are going to be in the podcasting lounge. Some fabulous vendors going to be there. I have an idea of what i'll be purchasing and top of my list is they yarn from Kate Davies to knit her Miss  Rachels Yoke sweater. I wanted to buy this 2 years ago at EYF but talked myself out of it and regretted it straight away so this year its the only thing on my list. Im there for the whole 3 days so im fairly confident that ill be buying other stuff.

Im also heading to Shetland in September for Wool Week which I have to say Im superly duperly excited about . Im going with Emma and Toni who I went to Pomfest with so its going to be great.

Finally I want to show what I was gifted bt Matilda for christmas. All my presents were great but this made me cry.

              

I want to wish you all A Happy, Healthy New Year. Thank you for reading my blog

Julie.