Viking Tea Party

A Place to Knit

I once knitted while riding a camel across the desert.

Nah, not really.  It does seem like a better way to start a post about where I like to knit than, say, a photo of my couch which is where I actually knit most of the time.

Cuddled up under the Ugly Blanket (a Christmas gift from one of my grannies - ugly but too soft and snuggly to give up) with the tv on and my feet up on that trunk.  I know it's better to knit while sitting in a more proper position but my short legs find that more uncomfortable so they're usually propped up or tucked under me. 

I don't knit anywhere unusual, really.  Knit groups at coffee shops really aren't strange anymore although I am looking forward to our next knit group because, weather permitting, we'll be knitting out doors at the Parklife Festival. 

I used to knit on car trips - still not unusual but at least it's no the living room couch - but the curvy roads of England have put an end to any knitting or reading in the car! 

If you'd like to read more from other Knit & Crochet Blog Week participants check out this link!

Tags: knitcroblo5

Explainations and More Instant Instant Gratification

Matt and I had a really great day yesterday.  We had lunch in Christchurch and took a walk on a fantastic beach in Highcliffe.  Unfortunately, I forgot my camera - argh!  The water was ridiculously cold but I took my shoes and socks off and waded anyway which was wonderful - I'd really missed that.  By the time we got home, though, the hormones were starting to creep up on me along with a headache and even a nice bath (with a Lush bath bomb for added relaxation) couldn't save me.  I was cranky, snappy and on the verge of tears and joked that I needed to send myself to bed like a little kid. 

I thought a lot about day three of Knit & Crochet Blog Week yesterday and have thought about it even more today and I'm beginning to think this topic may have contributed to my crankiness.  :)  I've come to the realization that I'm not the kind to really have a favorite knitter because I like a little bit of everything.  When it comes to patterns, I'm definitely a potpourri kind of gal.

With that in mind, I think I'll quietly and without a bit of crankiness move on to Day 4 and talk about a skill that I'd like to learn one day: continental knitting!

I love the idea of being able to knit faster.  What?  the potential for instant gratification to be a little more instant?  Yes! 

I know several people who have learned using videos on YouTube and Knitting Help so that's the route I'm going to take.  Soon.  

Argh, lamest post ever!  If the weather cooperates - that is, if we get any sunshine - tomorrow I'll post photos of a couple of projects I've been working on including a super cute mobile for the baby's room! :)

Playing the Pregnancy Card

Due to pregnancy hormones I'm going to delay my post for Knit & Crochet Blog Week until tomorrow morning. 

Aspiring to a LIttle Sunshine

Today's topic is to blog about a pattern you aspire to due to skills you still need to acquire or the dedication it takes to undertake a large project.  My project is definitely (and rather frustratingly) more of an aspiration out dedication and rather than skill.  I've never been very good at committing to large projects. 

This is the Sunshine Day Baby Afghan by Alicia Paulson of one of my favorite blogs, Posie Gets Cosy.  I've been in love with it since the first moment she showed us a glimpse. 

Image courtesy of Alicia Paulson

I love the soft crochet bubbles and the colors are so fantastic that I think I'd need to match them as closely as I possibly could as I just don't think it would look the same if it were done in another color scheme. 

When the pattern was posted on Ravelry in early February I fawned over it and, rather than adding it to my queue, I added it to my favorites.  It was pretty to look at but I didn't really have a reason to commit to making it.  Little did I know!  About three weeks later there I was holding a positive pregnancy test in my hands, calling out to Matt, "Hey baby, you wanna have a baby?"  

I guess it's about time to give up my instant gratification lifestyle because this blanket would be a wonderful little bit of sunshine for our little acorn's room!

If you'd like to read more from other Knit & Crochet Blog Week participants check out this link!

tags - knitcroblo2

How I Learned to Crochet Cute

Since I recently wrote a post about about how I started to knit I decided to kick off Knit & Crochet Blog Week with my crochet story.  

Early Halloween morning 2006, a small group of us - a range of ages but all women - stood shivering outside the Centerville library, waiting for it to open.  We all had one thing in common: tucked somewhere in our purse or bag was a crochet hook. 

I can't remember how I found out about the free beginner crochet class but I had wanted to learn for quite some time.  The craft blogs I read were bursting with amazing crochet creatures and, even though I couldn't pronounce amigurumi (and still never get it right), I wanted to learn how to make them, too.  

We learned how to make a simple granny square.  If my craft room things weren't still in boxes on the third floor, I could show you that square as I pinned it to my inspiration cork board when I got home and there it stayed.  Thanks to the woman who sat beside me who had crocheted in the past but was taking the class as a refresher, I was able to finish my square without too much trouble.  As class drew to a close, though, I started to get a little panicky.  Amigurumi weren't made out of granny squares! 

We were lucky enough to grab our teacher and she took a moment to show us how to crochet a row.  I could now race home and make my first amigurumi!

Um, yeah, for some reason that really didn't happen.  I crocheted A LOT of granny squares, joined Crochetville and looked at loads of patterns.  Eventually I crocheted a simple octopus but, for some reason I never sewed on eyes (although he's packed up with my craft stuff, too, and I'm determined to give him sight eventually) so don't consider him my first project.  Then, in February, I found the amineko pattern and actually finished my first amigurumi!

I actually ran into the teacher of that class on Ravelry and was thrilled when she said, "I browsed through your projects, everything is just awesome. I absolutely loved the kitty!!! My husband looked at the pics and said (with doubt in his voice) 'And you say YOU taught this person to crochet?' LOL."

There have been lots of amis since then along with hats, bags, dishcloths and now a little baby sweater.  I'll admit that I knit more but crochet for me is like a vacation from knitting.  There are so many nearly instant gratification projects and I'm all about that.  These days, though, I think I leave more projects unfinished than finished - I know for a fact that there are body parts for a lamb and a dog in on of my bedside drawers.... :)

If you'd like to read more beginning knitting and crochet stories from other Knit & Crochet Blog Week participants check out this link!

tags: knitcroblo1

Wordless Wednesday

 

A Strawberry Ice Cream Craving

Tonight, as usual, Matt called to let me know he was on his way home from work and, also as usual, he asked if he could pick anything up on the way.  Normally I just want him to come home but I'd been catching up on the last couple episodes of Heroes on the BBC iPlayer earlier and couldn't get strawberry ice cream out of my head after seeing Samuel and Vanessa share a strawberry milkshake.  So I requested strawberry ice cream. 

Three stops later, he came home with this:

A buffet of ice cream and vitamins!  Between these vitamins and the ones I already have, I'm good until about August.  The ice cream on the other hand...that might get me through to the weekend.

Thankfully, I had made him some butterscotch pudding...granted, it was instant Angel Delight pudding but it was still pudding!

(For the record, I ate one of the Nestle Mivvi Strawberries & Clotted Cream bars and it was delicious!)

The Best Part of The Safari Boat Tour at Longleat

 

Feeding the sea lions!  The worst part?  Even looking at the photos makes me smell fish.

And here's a not so fun fact about sea lions that I learned today: females are pregnant for eleven months and can get pregnant again two months after giving birth which means they can potentially be pregnant pretty much all of their adult lives.  

Yikes.

Knit & Crochet Blog Week

Long time, no post.  Not much has been happening around here and my motivation to do anything is pretty darned minimal.  Thankfully, as I come to the close of my first trimester, I am starting to feel a little more energetic and actually see eleven p.m. most nights.  One night last week, though, I think I was asleep by nine so it's kind of hit or miss. 

I do have a draft saved of a post I'm really looking forward to finishing but I needed to take a couple of photos which I finally did today.  In order to get back into posting a little more often, I'm also going to participate in Knit & Crochet Blog Week starting April 26th and invite you to join in, too!  

It was put together by Eskimimi on the Ravelry Group The Blog Hub and should be inspiring and a lot of fun.  All the details as well as the topics and this super cute banner can be found here on Eskimimi's blog.  Let me know if you decide to participate!

                                                                    *    *    *

Little Acorn Update: I'm going for my first scan on Wednesday morning.  We finally get to hear the heartbeat and see our little acorn for the first time! :)

Happy Easter!