And The Winner Is.......

Thank you so very much to every single one of you. To say that I am overwhelmed by your collective generosity is an understatement.

I have used a random number generator, and allocated everyone a number corresponding to the order in which they sponsored me, so Katt 94 was No1. Rooknits was No.2 and so on to Glynis, who was No21.

I asked for 4 numbers, which came out as follows:-

9, 12, 15, 10.

Perversia, you were the 9th person to sponsor me, so you win the first £10 Socktopus voucher

Sussex Yorkie, you were the 12th person to sponsor me, so you win the second £10 Socktopus voucher

Blossom, you were the 15th person to sponsor me, so you win one of Ambermoggie's femmes.

Justine, you were the 10th person to sponsor me, so you win a skein of sock yarn.

I will be in touch with you all later, thank you all once again.

Virtual Coffee Morning

Kettle's on, coffee's perking and there's carrot cake. Help yourselves.

I am off to bed - only I could organise something to fall on the middle of two night shifts *rolls eyes* but please stay and chat amongst yourselves.

As well as two x £10 Socktopus vouchers and one of Ambermoggie's femmes, there is also a skein of yarn from my tiny little sock yarn stash up for grabs.

See you later - draw at 5:00 pm :-)

p/hopping with the Forest Canopy Shoulder Shawl

Here is my latest ( and I rather suspect my last ) Forest Canopy Shoulder Shawl. It's a rubbish day for photos, so please forgive me.

I consider myself to be very fortunate in life. I need for nothing. OK, there are a few thing I might like that I don't have, but I need for nothing. If I want water, for example, I turn on my tap. I don't live in a war zone, I have been able to educate my children safely. If I'm hungry, I can eat.

I have a huge admiration for organisations such as Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) who do so much for those far less fortunate then we are, and so shortly after I knit Day last year I asked Natalie could I knit a FCS as a fundraser for MsF.

Natalie told me she had PLANS afoot, and sent me a skein of her gorgeous Machair laceweight. I am sorry to say it took me ages to get my act together and cast on. I swatched - yes, I know, shocking isn't it - and decided on a 3.5mm needle.

I also had to resort to circulars. My knitpick options were well up to the job, and with the help of enough dental floss to circumnavigate the globe, here is a FCS all ready to be p/hopped. ( Edited here to add a link to the p/hop blog )

There are 12 extra pattern repeats, and also 12 border rows.

Gromit didn't want to miss any blocking action ;-)

Amazing, isn't it, that this amorphous lump could turn into a laceweight shawl.

Inspiration in Unlikely Places

One can find inspiration in surprising places. For example, when putting something away in Mr A's wardrobe yesterday, I found this sleeveless pullover.

I knitted this for Mr A while on maternity leave in the winter of 1982. I had wanted to knit something for him for some time, and this certainly filled those last few weeks of pregnancy.

I've been looking at some fabulous colourwork on blogs and on Ravelry recently and have thought "I could never do that" but it seems after all that perhaps I could! I have sock club socks to knit first, but watch this space...........!

Looking at it today, I find it hard to imagine that I knitted this. But I did. And in reality it perhaps isn't as hard as it looks - there are only ever two colours in use at any given time.....

.........and I appear to have stranded the yarn across perfectly well.

I am a little too fond of saying " I couldn't/can't do that" these days! One of my knitterly resolutions this year was to learn something new. Perhaps will also relearn something I once knew very well. This chance find has inspired me to better things - provisional crochet cast on here I come!

And finally, a modelled shot! Please excuse the pre-eclamptic facial puffiness that is still evident, DS was hours old here, and 11lb was one big baby! I think Mr A looks very fetching ;-)

Mr A's Secret Birthday Mansocks

It was Mr A's birthday on Tuesday. "Did you have a lovely romantic evening?" I hear you ask. A meal out perhaps? Or a quiet dinner in? After all, it HAS been snowing and it WAS very cold on Tuesday. A cosy evening in front of the fire would have been perfect.

Alas no, we spent our evening at the Pro Star Stadium watching Shrewsbury Town play Accrington Stanley. Never let it be said that we don't know how to have a good time ;-) At least The Shrews won, and no matter where you are there is nothing like the click of the turnstiles to get the adrenaline running!

Just as well then that Mr A's feet were as warm as toast in his new birthday socks. Knitted using Opal Rainforest 2 # Butterfly, and using 2.5mm neeedles, they are a 68 st sock and a UK size 10.

There had been much discussion at my knitting group as to the suitability of the colour - most of the ladies there were of the opinion that their husbands wouldn’t be seen dead wearing them.

But Mr A knows which side his bread is buttered, and pronounced himself delighted with them! And warm ;-)

I remain overwhelmed by your collective generosity. Thank you :-)

Raffle Update

Once again, thank you so much for your support. It means a very great deal

There are some lovely people in this world! I'm delighted to tell you that thanks to Alice I am now able to offer two Socktopus vouchers in the draw.

Ambermoggie has also offered one of her recent femmes.

Thank you both of you. I am going to do my very best :-)

The Letter O

It seems that I will need to start every new post with a "thank-you" so I will! Thank you all very much for your kindness and generosity - I will do my very best for all of you.

I was reading Rooknits blog the other day and came across the letter game which seems to be doing the rounds. The idea is that you ask in the comments for a letter and one is sent to you at random. You then blog about ten things you love beginning with that letter.

Roo sent me the perfectly formed letter "O" Hmmm, this isn't as easy as it sounds but I will try my very best ;-)

1. Orthopaedics

When asked as a child what I wanted to do when I grew up, the answer was always, always, "I want to be a nurse" - I have never wanted to do or be anything else.

In September 1973, at the tender age of 17, I left home and went to start my training at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital where I learned everything that is good that I know today about nursing and how it should be.

I'm the one trying to drown poor Mrs Wilson with the glass of water ;-)


2. Oswestry

Oswestry is a small market town in Shropshire a mile or so from the hospital above. I have fond memories of Folk Night in The George ( our local ) and if asked nicely after a drink or two I could probably still sing Mattey Groves for you ;-)

There were a lot of firsts in Oswestry - first boyfriend, first ride on a motorbike ( A Triumph Bonneville, wonderful machine ) first love, first broken heart ..........

3. Obsinate

Moi? Oh, you must have me muddled up with someone else ..................

4. Oranges

Love them!

5. Olives

Oh, yes please, preferably with a lime daiquiri on the bar terrace of the Sofitel Taba Heights . Can I go there now please?

6. Orlando

We have had two family holidays in Florida, in 2000 and 2002. I absolutely loved everything about it. We had a wonderful villa, our own pool, and the theme parks were the best fun ever.

7. Ocean

When I was 13, in February 1970, I went on a school cruise on the s.s. Nevassa. What a wonderful experience, never forgotten. It cost my parents £56 for three whole magical weeks. We visited Puerto de la Cruz ( this was 1970 remember, I had never seen a swimming pool irl, Playa de las Americas was still a small fishing village and a Vesta packet curry constituted exotic food ) Freetown, Dakar and Cassablanca. There were Lifeboat Races in Vigo Bay, seasickness in the Bay of Biscay and very competitively fought dormitory inspections. It seems a lifetime ago.

8. Orchestra

I once played the viola in the Welsh National Youth Orchestra and travelled to Strasburg with them to play in front of what seemed to be a huge audience.

9. Optimism

The older I get, the more I have become to realise that life is much more fulfilling when seen with an glass that is half full ;-)

10. Old Big Ears

That's how Liverpool supporters refer to the European Cup! ( yes, I know it's technically the Champions League now )

You didn't really think I'd get through this whole thing and not mention football did you ;-) Mind you, it's hard to be an optimist and be a Liverpool supporter these days!!

This has been great fun Ruth - thank you. If anyone would like a letter, just ask!

No-Purl Monkeys

May I first say how much I appreciate your sponsorship. Thank you very much.

It was my intent at the beginning of 2009 to end the year with less sock yarn than I started it with. To that end I thought I should actually knit some socks ......... ;-)

I bought this yarn from KraftyKoala at last year's Woolfest, and I love it :-) There is something about no purl monkeys and a merino tencel yarn that just works I think.

No Purl Monkey Socks

Yarn: Merino Tencel Sock by KraftyKoala

Needles: 2.5mm Lantern Moon dpns

This Year it's Personal

I simply can't believe that it's the time of year again! Yes, that's right, it's time to sign up once again for the Race for Life.

I shall be trying to come up with new ideas for fundraising this year, being mindful of course that we are all economising one way or another at the moment.

Little did I think when I ran last year that cancer would strike so close to home. Life's not fair sometimes, but adversity can bring out hidden depths in people. I am very very proud of my nephew.

You'll notice the widget in my sidebar. It's not there because I expect all of you to sponsor me, not at all.......... but if you did it would be very very nice ;-)

What I am going to do is hold a virtual coffee morning on February 16th - my nephew's birthday. Anyone sponsoring me the price of a cup of coffee before then will go into a draw, the prize being a £10 voucher to spend at Socktopus.

There will be more fundraising soon :-)

*Important* A friend has kindly passed some important information on to me. Sadly, because I am offering a prize, it seems that anyone who sponsors me to go in the draw for the Socktopus voucher will not be able to gift aid their donation. It's explained here and I am sorry that I had not taken the time to find this out first. I'll still hold the draw though, but will have to put my thinking cap on for anything in the future. I'm always so grateful when people sponsor me, a little reward or incentive is my way of saying thank you.