Fastest top down jumper on the block

 

Hi all, I haven't been well lately, due to my migraines but I have been able to knit without moving my head :) So I started a jumper with the ribbon web yarn I bought but it was too thick and heavy. So I started on it again from yarn in my stash. I started again knitting the dotty pattern but it it didn't look good in the yarn. I started again, the yarn wasn't really looking nice but I carried on as a trial. It took me about a week to knit on 8mm needles using Chantarella yarn. The pattern is the dotty pullover by Yay for Yarn. The pattern is free through ravelry or on their website although you can buy a larger print if you want to and there is a video on YouTube the shows you how to knit the pattern. I'm please with the results but look forward to knitting it on chunky yarn. At first glance it looks quite complicated but it is actually a nice easy pattern to knit.

So now, what to do with the 900g of ribbon yarn. It looks like I'm going to be busy making scarfs 😃

I'm finishing a baby size blanket and still need to finish the socks I started and the blanket I've been knitting for my friend for about 3 years.

I lost 1.5 lbs last week and really want to get back to target. I bought a count down and have 2 weeks left so really want to loose 5lb by then. I've been about 4/5lbs out of target for too long and really am fed up with it, plus could really do without having to pay especially as the price has gone up. I've been trying to stay between 6 and 10 syns a day and add more speed food to my meals. I love my soup maker and would recommend anyone to get one. As easy it is to use a pan and a stick blender, a soup maker does it all for you in 21 mins. No more burnt pans from making soups (at least). I don't have any recipes for you but just add what ever I fancy to the soup maker with garlic, spices and salt and pepper. I started adding garam masala and it seems to work well. NO pictures of soup sorry.

Why I'm using stitch markers

MY Slim Knitting Life

HI, I've been playing around with YouTube and posting videos. I'm still learning so please bear with me 

I only lost 1/2 a pound this week but am upping my game and having more speed. I did get angry and had to really think hard on what I wanted. I was ready to give up again but it's silly after so long. I find listening to the slimming world pod caste really helps. You can listen on lost devices just by googling slimming world pod caste. 

I received some pretty yarn yesterday for a pattern I want to knit.  I haven't had much time to knit or crochet today so will have to wait, maybe start tomorrow morning before going to work. 

The new year looks good even with not being able to go out anywhere and having to have c19 tests three times a week but I'll be having the vaccine soon due to the sector I work for. It's scary out there but knitting and crochet this blog helps. This will pass and hopefully we will be stronger for it.

My knitting style

My first video uploaded to YouTube, it goes live tomorrow 14/02/2021 at midnight. It's unedited as I'm still learning so I'm sorry it's not perfect. 

New year and C19

Hello, long time no blogging. I couldn't get into knitting again, doing bits and pieces but not really very much and not finding something I really wanted to knit. I still have at least 2/3 wip's. A good friend of mine has been knitting a beautiful blanket with cables and it got me inspired. I knitted a couple of hats that I found on ravelry and a cowl. I then joined a video chat with the poundland yarn group on Facebook where a very nice lady was crocheting a c2c blanket which I've seen a lot but thought it would be complicated to make. I was told that it was good for a beginner and there is a video on YouTube by Bella Coco. I looked up the pattern and couldn't understand the instructions so went on YouTube and the Bella Coco video was great. I crocheted a pram size blanket then a larger one on hooks my daughter bought me for Christmas. I would like to crochet a baby blanket but even with smaller hooks the holes are too big for a baby blanket. So I'm going to look for something like a basket weave. 

I started a pair of socks at the beginning of last year for my son but didn't use stitch markers and now am unsure where to decrease. I'm going to finish them off but I also have a jumper that I want to knit, I just need to buy some yarn. It is a top one down in the round on chunky yarn.

I don't have much time for crafts but as the children have flown the nest I seem to have more time to myself even though I didn't have to do that much when they were here. I'm still working and really enjoy my job even with it's ups and downs. Wearing even more PPE than normal and getting hot has it's challenges but you get used to it.

I lost 2lb's before Christmas then put it back on over Christmas and new year. I've 100% this week using the app to record my food. Not blackhole weigh in. I've been using Jack Monroe's recipes and really love them and looking forward to trying more. Jack is very inspirational and her recipes are easy to follow. I now have 4 of her cook books.

I hope to post more frequently in future.

Long time, little knitting

Sorry that it's been so very long. I haven't posts because I haven't done much knitting latley. I got lost in the top I am making because I modified the pattern by mistake and got annoyed with my poor mother who was only trying to help. In the meantime I was knitting a baby cardigan that went wrong and I really couldn't understand the pattern, I was going to frog it but my fantastic mother finished and reworked the pattern. No picture but I'll ask her if she can send me one.

I put on 1lb although this is over 2 weeks. I went to a garden party and ate too much cake and had a slight head rush. Tonight I went down the black hole and had chicken and chips for supper. This morning I was going to defrost some chicken but as I had a very busy day, my DH suggested we have take away. I agreed and had sushi for lunch from Sainsbury with Carrot sticks with hummus. I also ate 2 hifi bars. So I drifted into the black hole. Ds19 has just popped up the road for chocolate oh dear.

Most of my home has a place thanks to the konmarie method. I say most as when I lost my flylady routines not everything is where it should be. I have decided to restart and jump right in where I am now. I watched a few videos on YouTube and started on monday. We are currently in zone three so I'm attempting to do 15 mins a day. Today was manic and I set the timer before breakfast for 2 mins. I cleared and cleaned the top shelf in the mirrored cabinet, so at least that was done. I put a wash on before going out this morning and hung it out after supper. Yesterday's wasn't dry yet but I have folded up what is and will take it up stairs when I go to bed as it's nearly 10pm here and I want to read for a while.

I am currently reading Terry Prachett disc world number 18 Maskerade. I'm really enjoying it and look forward to reading more. I've read a few and really wouldn't mind rereading them again.

I look forward to your comments and if it takes me a while to respond I'm very sorry but life does get in the way😀

I finished the slippers after not knitting for nearly a week due to a rather nasty migraine. They need pompoms on which I think will make them look a bit more like slippers than socklets.

I've knitted 4 very small baby hats that are the size of innocent smoothie hats. I will knit a few more and send them off. They only except cream or white so my mother off loaded a big bag of lots of 20g balls. It's nylon and acrylic so I hope it's ok. 

I decided to knit a baby cardigan too as there are so many balls of yarn. I almost finished the back in about an hour so it won't take long.

I put on 5 1\2 lb's on holiday and lost 2 last week. I've been back on plan and writing everything down. Here are some pictures of this week's food. I didn't take any today or of the chili com carne I took to work.

I'm really enjoying my food today and was going to make lamb Koftas from the take 5 cook book but ds19 decided he wanted to make southern fried chicken from scratch for everyone so I thought I would have slimming world meatballs with pasta and veg. The sauce was aldi essentials pasta sauce. 39p and 5.5 syns for the whole thing. I did buy passata as well but thought that, that was a bargain and it did taste nice. There is 3\4 left in the fridge for another day. The chicken lasagna came out quite well even though I was out of most ingredients and improvised. People have been saying how nice the Quorn nuggets are and they're not bad, I don't think that they're as amazing as everyone seems to think but they were good as a quick no faff  meal, everyone else had chicken nuggets.

I hope for a good weight loss this week 😀

Holiday knitting

I started a shawl to take on holiday and think there is something wrong with the pattern. My Mother kept on saying it looked like a nappy. I didn't take a picture in the end as I can't even block it. So nothing to show for my time away😆 apart from lovely memories. My Mother in the other hand knitted 4 pairs of fingerless mittens for me to take to work for the to sell. Mum's pattern was wrong too but she managed to work it out.

I have started tv slippers from the love to knit socks book by Bronwyn Lowenthal. I've finished the first one but read the pattern wrong in places but I'm quite pleased how it turned out.

The yarn is from poundland and I chose to use this instead of using different colours. I was starting to think I couldn't read a pattern so I hope the other one matches 😁