Two New Kitties

Our two new arrivals! We thought that they were two girls but now think differently. We possibly have two boys but we're not sure as yet :/ Maybe the vet will enlighten us! So they don't have names this evening because we had two girl names lined up for them.... ho hum. I'm sure another evening of being relatively nameless won't hurt LOL!

you want piccies??

Of Contacts and Kittens

I had to visit the optician this lunchtime - my eyes have been constantly sore and itchy and I've had to wear my specs most of the time but can't focus up close in them, a sure sign that summink ain't right. Well the optician has given me the bad news that my prescription has changed significantly after staying the same for what seems like years, that my contact lenses have left a red area on my cornea as they are longer permeable to atmospheric gases (namely oxygen!) and are past their sell-by date, and that my eyes have changed shape. This could of course all contribute to my lenses being very uncomfortable to wear and therefore I haven't been :? thereby giving my eye strain. The upshot is that I have chosen a new pair of specs frames and they will have my new prescription in them - hurrah! I have a contact lens appointment in about ten days' time so I'll know whether I'm forever destined to wear specs or I'll be in a new pair of better fitting, new prescription, gas permeable lenses again!

And the kittens headline? Only 25 hours until we pick up our new additions to the Melody Household - two adorable girl kittens from a friend whose cat had a litter recently. We've chosen names which I'm not allowed by Melody Children Rules to tell you *rolls eyes* and in any case they might be swapped round to fit said kitties once they arrive. I promise you I'll show you piccies tomorrow when we take ownership, but for now we're off to the pet shop at the retail park to buy a vetbed fluffy mattress for them :)) I'd better store my needles and yarn safely from now on eh? LOL!

Seaton Finished

At last I have finished sewing up my version of the RYC Seaton: without stripes and in Lidl's aran weight cotton that I bought last spring. I only used 8 balls to knit the cardigan and at £1 a ball works out to be a bit of a bargain.

I had to reknit the front bands as they were too floppy knitted on the larger needles suggested in the pattern and steam pressed the cardigan after sewing it up as it was a bit on the small side, but I'm now very happy with the result.





The yarn is 100% cotton yarn in a dark grey, mid grey and white mixtured yarn which knitted beautifully on Brittany birch needles; the outside photo shows the shade better I think. I chose oval, grey shell buttons and grey satin ribbon to complement the variegated yarn; I'm sure this will become a wardrobe favourite!

A Few New Projects


I've been planning knitting for a few months now - now I have time over the summer to knit a few items up and this is what I've been up to.


I started the Buttoned Hoodie for the Sirdar Simple Knits knitalong held on the Crafty Threads forum - it's design F - a simple stocking stitch cardigan with a hood and I'm using a light sagey green shade of Sirdar Country Style DK from my stash called Linden Green. I actually have 17 balls of this shade in stash but I'm likely to use about 9 or 10 of them. I'm leaving off the kangaroo pockets cos I don't like them and I've rewritten the pattern to knit it on the knitting machine. I've already completed the back and one sleeve and I only cast on at 4pm yesterday afternoon! Speedy knitting with the help of 200 needles ;)

New project - Sirdar Buttoned hoodie in Country Style DK

I also started a feather and fan scarf a few weeks ago in the final week of Uni but frogged it because it was too wide. I cast on again using fewer stitches and I like the way it's working out :) I knitted a few more repeats last night but shouldn't have bothered because I found a mistake part way down as I came to put my kniting away and didn't have the patience to frog it back.... I'll do that this morning when I'm colouring my hair!

Another new project - feather & fan lace scarf in Tess Dawson Merino 4 ply (black)

New Stashalong?

A bad time to decide to embark on a new stashalong? The beginning of the new Winter yarn season! Yarns and shades discontinued and on sale at ridiculous prices, new and exciting pattern books and yarns being launched by large spinning companies, and the lure of cool Autumn and Winter months just around the corner of Summer.

Newly Qualified

I never thought that Friday 4th July 2008 would ever come. The hard work, the challenges, the lack of sleep and the adrenaline seemed to take over at times. But time moves on its own mysterious way and I found myself sitting in the Fraser Noble Hall in the School of Education at Leicester University, with the other students who were about to become newly qualified teachers, about to receive notification that we had indeed got to the end of our journey in becoming newly qualified teachers.

I was so relieved to have passed that I actually went to the Summer Ball on Friday night. I hadn't bought a ticket thinking that if I failed I wouldn't be going. And I couldn't trust myself to buy a ticket in case I tempted fate and failed as a result. I had to rush out on Thursday evening to buy an outfit! It all came good in the end though and I thoroughly enjoyed the ball. It was a fitting end to the long year and rounded off our incredible journey nicely.

I woke up this morning feeling like I should get up early to do some planning or paperwork and it was quite unsettling to realise that THERE ISN'T ANY TO DO! At the moment anyway.

We at last found time to visit my parents yesterday, who I haven't seen for nearly four months. It's too long isn't it? And as went on Saturday I just HAD to pop into K2tog in Wolstanton. The nice lady in the shop even kept the shop open for me whilst I ran from one shop to the other down the road (the shop now has two premises, about 200 yards apart). Oh how the people of Wolstanton laughed as a yarn mad woman careered down the road demanding Summer Tweed.

I made the decision to visit mum and dad every month now that the PGCE is over. If only to visit K2tog on Saturday once again ;)