All Fingers and Thumbs

Did a week go by?  I've been slightly dazed and confused these past days. So out of practice at getting up and that work stuff, sign of a good holiday I guess. Suffice to say, I'm only just finding time to post about my knitting souvenir but as it's seen little action since the end of holiday it's kind of fitting. I'll try and settle back in to that lovely post vacay relaxed vibe I had last weekend and it'll be like the work never got between us. Knitting on our balcony at Rottingdean As with my project choice I'd done my preparation for a little holiday yarn shopping. I knew that Christchurch had a lovely traditional wool shop , Honora Wool Specialists stacked high with a big range of the staple UK yarns. To try and avoid my normal panic when faced with such riches I picked out a pattern in advance that I could hunt down some suitable yarn for. I went for  Short Lucky  as a nice autumn welcoming cosy project, I don't have anything quite like

Beaches and knitting - can't go too far wrong with a holiday heavy on those two things can you? Avon Beach, Mudeford I took three knits away with me. First up was a project suited to car knitting time: Jonna, a simple ribbed scarf, in more of the scrumptious Cashsoft, in Poppy this time. I started this just before we went away to make sure I had something simple on the go. View across to the Isle of Wight The Spring Shoots socks I took are not really complicated, it's just that the unusual construction means that they require that little bit more thought and attention than car knitting, or indeed post-work knitting time tends to offer. Perfect for peaceful holiday time. Mudeford Spit from Hengistbury Head I also used my holiday peace to start a pattern I knew would need a little thinking about: Summit . I got the chance to buy another skein of the Sunna sock club yarn that I was saving for a scarf, thus the search for a suitable pattern grew to shawl

.. to 'When did you become one of those people who get Christmas all organised by June?!!?' Well maybe not quite but here's my first gift knit all done, done, beautiful and did I mention done? By the start of September no less - gift knitting is go! Pattern: The imaginatively titled - #12 Cabled Cowl by Cathy Carron Yarn: About 4.5 balls of Rowan Cashsoft Aran in Haze Needles: 5 and 5.5mm Started: August 17th 2010 Finished: September 2nd 2010 Ravelry page I barely noticed this cowl when I got the magazine last year but there are many lovely versions on Ravelry to convince you it's a winner - just not the way the magazine styled it. I showed a couple of people the magazine picture when they enquired what I was knitting and they definitely gave me the 'hmmm well she is a crazy knitter' look. This version by Yarn Snob was the one that made me want, want, want it. Sadly I wasn't able to live up to her great photos. I added a stunt jacket for mine as I fe