All Fingers and Thumbs

I've quite some knitting pride in this little crop of Dashings that I have tended over the last few weeks. The whole idea of whether/who/what to knit for Christmas gifts has required some extra thought this year. Last year I set out with unmanageable expectations and ended up giving the last of the gifts meant for Christmas as a birthday present this September. My productivity and inspiration dried up in the approach to Christmas and I didn't finish anything last November or December. Knitting the Christmas gifts throughout the year and stockpiling them is by far the most sensible approach but still, I can't get really excited about gift knitting until the magic of Christmas is within reach. I love to make my gifts in one form or another, though I try and make sure the recipient is going to feel equally fond of the idea of a handmade present. Last year I think I focussed too much on the pattern I thought people would most want to receive; this year I've decided that

..two years old today! Here are some of things the blog is about: In fine blogging tradition I have a little prize giveaway to celebrate and say thank you to all you readers for your input and contributions that make me love blogging so. I've noticed a growing obsession in my heart for badges - or buttons if you prefer. There are so many cute ones around now, Etsy is a wonderful source for them. Actually, a quick aside, I've always wondered if badges as I know them are buttons then how are buttons still buttons? Ooh the word button starts to look very odd when you type it repeatedly. Button, button, button. I once bought the 1TB some buttons as a souvenir of a US trip - I thought they were to be sewed on to his jeans and so it was quite pleasing to find that they were just ready to go to be pinned on. So anyway, whatever you call them, I love them and to share my love with you I have gathered the gorgeous wee ones pictured around this post for you to win. Just leave me a comm

There were signs of a slump into the knitting doldrums mid week. Two inner knitters were battling and the likeliest outcome seemed to be a ceasefire in the form of no knitting. I was knitting away happily on my flip top mitten when it became apparent that there was going to be an issue, a not enough yarn type issue. Attempting a pattern that requires a skein of Lamb's Pride Worsted when you have only half a skein looks, with hindsight, foolish. That's of course because it is foolish but the Frugal Knitter had been having her say. She wanted that half skein to be enough for the child size because it would use up some stray yarn ; the Frugal Knitter pointed out that the pattern said it took a skein for the child size and a skein for the adult size so surely half a skein would be fine for the child size. Well no. There is not enough yarn to make two of the mittens, to be honest it's going to be tight for one. So the Stash Loving Knitter said "Sucks to you Frugal Knitter,

Months ago lovely Amanda tagged me for a random meme and I got as far as three dull things that I couldn't feel that any of you would want to know about me (having obviously been so fascinating before ) and saved the non-post in my drafts until today, when I was inspired by Glenna's post to share some random knitting minutiae. 1. My needle collection is very random, odds and sods from cheap ebay lots, rummages through charity shops and moments of luxury with Brittanys or Harmonys. The circulars live in a tea tin that is too small for them even though I long ago bought a folder to sort them in to. Like my life really the intention is there to organise and be tidy but the execution is a bit weak :o) 2. My favourite tv programme to knit to is Murder She Wrote - my fingers have developed a Pavolvian twitch response to that theme music. Any whodunnit is always a happy knitalong with for me but even complicated patterns can be knit to MSW with no fear that you will miss the vital

This is the sum total of Socktoberfest progress on my singletons: one success, one to the heel (glad to know that a lot of you will understand that I am enjoying the anticipation of the heel flap to knit) and just a cast on for the Jays. I did insist on doing the cast on before bed on the 31st so that I could say I started all three socks in Socktober. Not quite what I was aiming for but still not so bad given colds, energy lows and work stresses this month. Casting on late at night is not normally a recipe for success and so it's not that surprising that those stitches are no more - I've ripped out the original cast on and gone down a size. Am definitely enjoying the pattern for these, as I do for the Monkeys, while the Pom pattern and I have a more troubled relationship - we've just not quite clicked yet and I never get into an easy rhythm with the knitting but I do love the sock that is emerging. I shall persevere with these singles and their partners this month though