I know, I know.

A new project.


But, you see. My Charcoal Holden Shawlette is blocked and ready to go to its new home.


And I'm having some serious knitting lace withdrawals.

What else can I do on the trains? What else can I do when I'm early for meetings?

This weekend, I had a bit of a catch up. I had Saturday all to myself, so I disconnected the internet and finished blocking the Charcoal Holden Shawlette.


Blocking is really satisfying. I do it old school, by arranging the garment in the desired shape/ dimensions, and then pinning it in place and spraying it with water. Once dry, it's blocked. You can also use a steam iron, but I find that the "old school" method helps the fibres to relax more and they stay like that indefinitely, perfect for a picot binding or lace detail. The steam iron is good for straightening out jumpers, or shaped knits, and rolling hems.


I also finished off this little knitted lamb (pattern available on Ravelry, for free) and sewed him all together. I embroidered his eyes as this is meant for a baby, and safety eyes are a no-go for very little people. I knitted it using Sirdar Snowflake DK which is super soft and fluffy - you can't even tell that it is knitted fabric. The face and feet are all knitted in scrap Tivoli Tweed yarn I had leftover from a previous project. Cute.

And what would a catch-up Saturday be without a bit of baking? I baked jam buns from a good old fashioned 1950s Good Housekeeping recipe.


Jam Buns, before they went into the oven. Unfortunately, the kettle was on when they came out. Ahem. And then they seem to just disappear out of the jar. There are elves, I'm sure of it. I'll make another batch this week and post an after photo.

I also made honeycomb (hokey pokey) using Nigella's recipe which I'm really impressed with; who knew it could be so easy?

It suddenly hit me this morning that the Christmas market is next week AND I haven't finished my making. Also, family is visiting this week, I have a million things that need to go in the oven for the eight people I'm having over on Friday to celebrate Chanukah, and I completely forgot that it is my wedding anniversary tomorrow.

Oh dear.

Thank goodness for positive thinking and an endless supply of tea.

I have been doing a little bit of knitting.

Okay - a lot of knitting. I've knitted jumpers, booties, baby cardigans and have even started knitting a lamb. I like to think of it as my winter sport. Brr. As I've been terrible with taking photographs and sharing all things knitty, I've decided to start with the most current: this is on my needles today. I have only five VERY long rows left to knit.

I took this project with me to Wales in an attempt to get it finished (it's going to be a gift, and has been on the go for a long while), and made excellent progress in the cold nights and hours of driving time.


It is a Holden Shawlette, a small scarf-like wrap with a lace detail border. Very good for winter, methinks.

This is my second H.S. (the first was knit in a lovely olive colour, for my friend Anne). I've used the same yarn - a beautiful Araucania Ranco Solid - but this time in charcoal. It's a thin 4-ply yarn with lots of subtle variations in grey tones throughout.. The yarn has been discontinued, so it's really a bit of a treasure.

The lovely ladies of the East End Women's Institute are Christmas Marketing on the 3rd of December. I'll be selling a range of handmade gifts and goodies (two weeks to get making!) and there are loads of other exciting things on offer. Pop in around 7pm for a mince pie and some festive cheer, and bring your purse - there'll be plenty of Christmas shopping opportunities to pick up that perfect gift.

And we're back!

We had a great time in sub-zero Northern Wales. There were masses of mountains, scattered with sheep. There were rally tracks and 4x4 trails. There were many, many jackets and layers. And scarves. I even took my blanket with. Just in case.

Strangely enough, we spent a lot of our driving time in Wales held up by roadworks. It was all very regulated and controlled, but really slowed things down quite wonderfully. You couldn't just drive to point B, you first had to stop off three or four times along the way to let other cars pass as roadworks narrowed the tiny roads from two lanes into one.

People were polite, and exceptionally relaxed about the unexpected stops. It was a completely new experience.


We went specifically to watch the WRC Rally Wales GB. This is what happens when you're married to a motorsport fanatic. You traipse around mountains and camp out in places called "Sweet Lamb Farm." You have to climb up and down hillsides to get the best track-side photography spots. You can't bring your knitting for fear of mud (there was a lot of mud).

The views were spectacular, even if the terrain was rocky and the roads were narrow. Very narrow. Hold on to the edge of your seat with white knuckles narrow. Are you sure we can drive up here narrow. Is this a road or a cliff-face narrow.

Still, it got dark by 4.30pm, and the little town we were staying in (Aberdyfi) went to sleep shortly afterwards. It was a proper break from ever-open streets of London.


It's a bit surreal to be back. Instead of the ocean, we're listening to the waves of traffic flowing past the windows. It gets dark early here too, but that's just the end of your working day and the start of your evening. I didn't think I'd notice the difference, but I do. The cure, I think, is to invest in a fireplace and switch off the TV. Also, don't get too worked up when things stop unexpectedly. Roadworks may be a pain, but they give you a chance to admire the views. We could all do with a bit of country living in the city.