Thursday 24 January 2013

Snow, Shoes & Stitchcraft!

Firstly I just wanted to say hello to my new followers - I hope you enjoy my waffling :o)

-x-

Well, what chilly weather we've been having here in the UK.  Were you one of the lucky few who escaped the blanket of white?  We had 4 inches over the course of a week and much of it is still lying about in icy blocks, waiting to send someone skidding to the ground!  The weather reports suggest more may be on the way - I hope they are wrong!

10 days since my last post - tut tut!  I had planned to write a post before now but time simply hasn't allowed.  I blame it on the snow and its hypnotic quality that has seen me wasting countless hours of my life watching the flakes fall!  

The fluffy stuff didn't keep me from a spot of sale shopping.  I've been dithering on this purchase for a while now.  They are kind of impractical for my daily life and I'm not sure how much wear I will actually get out of them, but they are SO pretty that I simply had to succumb, right?? :o)  Lovely, comfy, elegant and beautifully made Miss L Fire shoes! 


Ridiculously comfortable shoes.

  So what else have I been up to??  Well, on Sunday, Mr Y thought it would be a good idea to go and walk in the local forest.  Never one to miss an opportunity to tread upon crisp virginal snow, we hot footed it to our favourite spot. 

In the countryside, away from the warmth of the town, the snow was much deeper, lying heavily upon the branches of the towering trees.  The girls' screams of delight could be heard echoing through the forest for all the scantily clad (yes really!) orienteering runners to hear :o) I looked set for an arctic exploration (or like the Michelin man as I was kindly informed by my other half!) and the only part exposed to the elements were my eyes!  Mr Y's coat served me well and although I'm certain I looked hilarious, I was the toastiest one of all :o)

I apologise in advance for the following snowy snaps.  I'm sure you've all had enough of them on other blogs but I couldn't let the opportunity pass by.  Scroll down quickly, beyond the snow, and you'll see some knitting delights! :o)





Scamp 1 and scamp 2 :o)
Aside from striding it out in the cold, I've found myself doing a spot of shopping.  The cold snap has not been good for my purse.  Enforced indoor time has meant increased eBay time and I'm sure it's no surprise to read that I've bought some more patterns :o)   

My favourite (and silly dance inducing) arrival was the February 1940 issue of Stitchcraft in its large early war format.  Just take a look at the stunning jumper of the cover.



This elusive edition had been evading me for years but I'm pleased to say that Mr Y did a sterling job in purchasing it.  I'm not a very good eBay bidder when it comes to things I really, really, really like.  I get nervous about bidding (daft as it may seem) and instead entrust the heartbeat quickening task to him!

Along with the above, I've picked up some individual patterns, again on eBay, and surprisingly, with the exception of the "wiggly" design Bestway one, all were about £1 - not bad in my book. 



I couldn't resist the tea cosy pattern.  I'm not a tea drinker, can't stand any hot drinks actually, but my mum is and I hope to be able to knit her one for her birthday in May. 

Unsurprisingly, I've also been knitting.  While the girls have been making the most of their free time in the snow, I have much preferred watching them from the window, my chair pressed up as close to the radiator as I dare and have started another jumper. 

Now, strictly speaking, I should be knitting this pretty number;



But it's had to be shelved for a while because I have lost the cream wool.  Ridiculous I know!  It's somewhere here, it has to be, but I can't put my finger on it at the moment!  Instead, I've moved onto a late 1930's number and am using Stylecraft DK (in a desperate attempt to use up some of my wool stock) and I've gone for a jumper of many stripes! 

I don't know about you, but I find that such jumpers grow very quickly.  While knitting it, I'm always thinking about moving onto the next colour and then the next one and so on and it sort of spurs me on!  I've finished both the front and back plus the one sleeve and shall cast on the final sleeve this evening with the hope of revealing all on Sunday (maybe!).  What do you think of the colours??


January is always a busy month.  After the mass post Christmas tidy, attentions are turned to event bookings and trying to fit in all the things we hope to do this year.  My head is spinning with ideas and I'm forever scribbling things down in one of my trusty notebooks so as not to forget them.  2013 is shaping up to be a busy one!


Hope you've all been staying warm :o)

5 comments:

  1. LOVE the Miss L Fire shoes. I'm pleased to hear they are comfortable. I've been desperate to buy a pair of their shoes for ages but wasn't sure how wearable they would be. That jumper on the front of the Stitchcraft Magazine is lovely. Have you ever used an auction sniping site? I use justsnipe - you get free snipes per month, I set it up with my maximum bid then go away and forget about the auction.

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    1. They are so comfortable. I wasn't sure they would be but they are so well made with great foot support. I shall be making a further purchase I'm sure. Never even knew such auction sites excited. I shall go and take a look, thank you :-)

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  2. Lovely shoes :) We didn't have any snow here, I'm so jealous. I've just worked out it's only 5 weeks away until my first fair so I better get knitting too! I will get around to making those brooches one day x

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    1. My in laws in Cornwall had none either, not that they were unhappy about it :-)
      It's only 6 weeks until our first fair. It seems a long way off when you say March but it'll be here before we know it!! Have fun knitting.

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  3. Hi Lucy,
    Hope you are well, your little ones look very cute in the snow. Miss L Fire's wares are so v tempting, your shoes are a pretty colour. Congrats on the addition to your Stitchcraft hoard, I shall amend my "on the lookout for" list. Thank goodness we are nearly through with January, just the short month of February to go and it will be March, hooray.
    Hen xxx

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