Wishing you all a happy and peaceful Christmas

and a New Year filled with all the woolly goodness you wish for

Success

Much to my amazement and disbelief, it worked. A hot (60 degrees) wash with a couple of towels et voila!

They turned out just the right size and are lovely and thick. The wool I used was Twilley's Freedom wool which is a very lightly spun chunky-weight 1-ply, almost like very thin rovings, but it has felted brilliantly. The clogs are being modelled by Bethany who was the intended recipient, she's just got them a bit early (well....... her feet were cold and they would have been tricky to wrap!) I now have a request to knit a pair in either black or burgundy for OH - he hasn't worn slippers for ages but now seems rather keen to have some.
I have been working quite hard on the aran chair cover (hmmmm...............where have we heard that before!) but I don't think it will be finished before Christmas now. I have been taking it to work and knitting it in the evenings (with only a small side-track for one of these in left over HipKnits silk) but progress is very slow. Still, only one more day at work, so you never know!
Short post tonight 'cause I feel crap - sore throat, headache, hurty eyes - yep it's the annual Christmas cold.

Hangovers and stuff

Last Thursday was our work Christmas "do". It was a lunchtime thing with the table booked for one o'clock and I still can't understand why I didn't get home till 10.30pm. I have no recollection at all of going from the restaurant to the pub, although I do remember being in the pub. The overall impression was of a thoroughly enjoyable time so I can only hope that the memories return and don't hold any nasty surprises.
Friday seemed an unbelievably long day and I was very glad to get home at the end of it.
Saturday - our telly packed up (well, actually it packed up a few days before, but it was confirmed on Saturday) and the replacement rental set would not fit in the only place we have for a telly so we sent it back. We have a small portable which we are using as a temporary measure until the proper replacement arrives (more of this later).
It was OH's Christmas "do" on Saturday night - a dinner dance at a hotel just outside Chichester. As that's 45 miles from home we decided to stay the night and make a mini weekend of it. It all went well although the DJ didn't play a single Christmas song! Wot! No Slade! Hmph, can't really be Christmas then. On Sunday we decided to look for a new TV as well as doing a bit of Christmas shopping so on our way back eastwards we stopped in just about every electrical store known to man. The TVs that would fit and that we could afford were very few and far between and were all out of stock. There is apparently a nationwide shortage of 26" LCD TVs at present according to Curry's, Dixons, Comet, Asda et al. Strange, then, that when we got home I was able to order one straight away over the Weird Wonderful Web. Fingers crossed it's being delivered next Thursday, just in time for the televisual treat we are promised this festive season.


This is my size 6 foot (in a slipper) next to a rather alarming piece of knitting that I have just completed. The pattern (felted clogs from Fiber Trends) assures me that they will felt down to the right size but I have to say, I'm quite nervous about the finished result. They are in the washing machine as I write this so stay tuned for the next gripping instalment. If successful, they are destined for a Christmas pressie, but don't tell anyone, it's meant to be a secret!

Slacking

Yes, I know, I've been slacking again with regards to blogging. I don't know why, I suppose it's just the time of year, not being able to get on the computer (too many kids and OH hogging it) and not having much to blog about. May also be because Lucy has introduced me to "Snood" which is a ludicrously addictive waster-of-time - Thanks, Lucy!
My car (thanks for asking!) is well again - in fact there was nothing wrong with it, according to the garage, who kept it all day and then charged me £30 for doing nothing. It has started perfectly every time since last Monday so there was obviously a jinx about.
In knitting news, I have to say a public "Thank You" to Uknitty who sent me a lovely knitting journal, out of the blue. She is obviously determined to turn me into an organised knitter who not only finishes things but also knows exactly what is in her stash and what patterns she has. I hope it works. I actually have two finished objects to report, but alas, no photos because my brain has completely mutated into a fluffy, woolly cloud and forgot to remind me to take pictures! The finshed articles are:

• machine-knit tunic/jumper for MIL, very fine cotton yarn in a wedgewood blue with a lace border and picot hem, deep V-neck. Designed by moi using Knitware, which is really simple to use even with the aforementioned brain.
• Hand-dyed 100% cashmere gloves for me - yarn from HipKnits ( a last-day bargain from Ally Pally) in a mixture of peach, soft greys/purples and greens - sounds a bit odd but looks very nice. Pattern from Vogue Knitting on the Go Mittens and Gloves (could be Gloves and Mittens - can't remember).

It looks as though I have hardly used any of the cashmere yarn - the ball doesn't look any smaller than when I started - so I need to find another little project to use up the leftovers. ( I just weighed the gloves - 22 grams the pair!). I've just got up off my a**e and snapped this arty little number:

Lovely and warm and they really do exist!

I have one or possibly two projects which may or may not be Christmas presents (not that I dithering, or anything), but I'm not sure either of them will be finished in time as I really want to finish the chair cover (otherwise Uknitty has sent me her pressie under false pretences and I cannot allow that). The main body of the cover is knitted, sewn up and is on the chair so it's (still) only the cushion cover to knit. Will it be finished before Christmas? Watch this space...................

P.S. Had a mini Depp-fest at the weekend - "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Ed Wood"; the latter involves the delicious Mr Depp wearing a fluffy angora sweater and various other assorted items of womens clothing - a real treat.