Miho - One piece kimono style top for babies and children

This seamless kimono top is a brilliant knit for warmer months. The yarn, Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo DK, is lightweight and durable and comes in a host of mouthwatering shades. The top is designed to have minimal finishing with an optional crochet edging. There are no seams to sew so you only have ends to weave in when you’ve finished knitting. Sizing is given from 0 - 5 years.
This was designed and made in conjuction with my sister, Elisabeth Flynn, Elfyn on Ravelry.

This pattern was originally published in Let’s Knit and is now available as a Ravelry Download.
Please note that optional crochet edge is given in English abbreviations.

A slight miscalculation

In preparation for the warmer weather, I've been rootling through my sock drawer, looking for my winter wool socks. I love handknitted socks, especially in the winter.  They're warmer, more comfortable and much more stylish than shop bought cotton socks.  They're thick enough to reduce the rubbing on my heel from my trainers, they fit into my hiking boots, and they don't restrict my circulation at the ankles.  In the past I've treated them with great care and always handwashed them but (not being much into handwashing) this really reduced the amount of wear I got from them as they were always sitting in the laundry basket. In my search, I found three without their pairs so then tipped the laundry basket upside down to find their missing mates. I'm not sure what possessed me at this stage to put the three located dirty socks in the washing machine but I did. Two socks were pretty happy but one was not.

My colour catcher was bright purple but fortunately none of the other washing was ruined. I suppose now I have to bite the bullet and put the other sock in the wash and hope it fades to the same colour scheme. I don't think I can really wear them at the moment as I might as well have worn the original odd socks instead of finding their pairs. On the bright side, at least it didn't shrink.

Here's a shot of the alpaca jumper from La Paz.

I went for my run

and I saw a tractor and cows and bunnies. 

It's turned a bit cold here so on Sunday I got to wear my alpaca jumper from Bolivia for the first time.  I didn't buy many souvenirs from Bolivia and I didn't have much time for shopping but I did manage a purple striped hoody (photo another day), some gloves and two shawls that have been put away ready for xmas.  I also brought home Bolivian chocolates for everyone. 

I've been knitting fairly steadily lately but I think the yarn I've been using is irritating my eyes.  It's very soft camel based yarn  (the unicorn from last year) but I think the wispy bits aren't agreeing with me.  I'll push on through, though as it's very lovely to wear (and I happen to have quite amassed a pretty pile of it). (lots of brackets).

Still not shopping

It's nearly the end of September and I still haven't bought anything.  It's marvellous and much easier than I expected.  I set my own rules and I have only bent them once and I feel very proud of myself. The rules are I can buy food and petrol (within a budget) and presents for people's birthdays (but no random presents because I used to use that as an excuse for shopping) and other essentials but nothing that I already have at home that I need to use up first. No books as I can get them from the library, no music for now, I'll have to decide when to lift the embargo on that, no dvds, no heating if I can put a jumper on, no new clothes or handbags and definitely no toiletries.

For anyone who's ever considered something like this and dismissed it as misery inducing, I've done that in the past.  I had it imposed on me by my ex and I've had it imposed on me due to finances and neither of those situations were fun or terribly successful. I still shopped. This time, however, I'm actually enjoying it.  I feel proud of myself and I don't miss any of the things I would have bought in the past.  I've also realised the reason for my success - I have everything.  It is ridiculous how much I have.  Having started this at the beginning of August, when another huge credit card bill and car insurance reminded me that the bank isn't bottomless, I have only needed to buy a packet of dental floss.  Nothing else.  I wavered at one point when I thought I had run out of toothpaste but then I checked in my cupboards - I had two new packets waiting.  I ran out of conditioner but I have three conditioning treatment masks that will get used up first.  I ran out of face wash but then found two other cleansers. I don't think I ever need to buy shower gel again.  It seems to breed in my house.  I don't need to buy dvds because I bought myself a tv recorder as a birthday present.  I don't need to buy clothes because I have spent the last two years stocking up. 

When my husband left, I gave myself a year to not worry about money.  When that year was up, I gave myself another year as really, a year isn't very long in itself, and most of that year had been spent trying to get divorced.  What I really needed was another year where I was free to just get used to being in charge of my own money, spending in whatever fashion I decided. And saving money's boring, right? I could keep spending the way I used to for a while longer and keep using up savings but now, as the end of the second year is drawing nearer, it actually fits me to not be a shopper. I want to save up money and one day go to Japan again or beable to buy a new car if mine died or even, and this is a long way off, buy a house. There's certainly no way I can do any of these things if I keep stockpiling bubble bath and yarn.  For a while, being free to spend was a really good thing for me.  I needed to learn how to be in charge of my own lfe, what I liked and didn't like without someone telling me those things for me.  Without having spending habits imposed upon me.

One of the indulgences I managed to sneak in this year, was a trip to Bolivia to see some of the work my uncle and aunt are involved in.  Bolvia is incredibly beautiful and I really recommend a visit although it's not the easiest place to get to.  They do have some very important residents though.

A llama or possibly alpaca family, crossing the road in front of my bus.

a PHOTO OF A SOCK

I had a bit of a panic when I couldn't actually find this sock to photograph but here it is. At last.  Not very impressive but it does exist.  I'm using unicorn yarn and making up the pattern.  I'm not making it up very well though as this sock is too small for me, only by a smidgen, but just too short to be comfortable.  I always seem to rush the toe in my desperation to finish something. I have a lot of sock yarn.  A LOT. I haven't bought any in ages, not since last year but I still don't seem to be making a dent in the mountain.  Which is why I shouldn't be dreaming about buying this.  I know I can't justify buying it for me, especially as I have imposed a complete shopping ban on myself, so I'm trying to find another excuse.  Not good, a shopping ban is a ban, so I'll just have to focus on using up what I have. 

Still no photos

Still no photos of the socks I've been working or an update on the christening gown.  I worked for hours yesterday, finishing off some patterns and now I'm tired and grumpy and late for my dance lesson so I guess a proper post is going to have to wait again. Maybe I'll get it all sorted at the weekend.

Weekend summary

What a lovely weekend.  The party on Friday night was more fun than I expected. The sales rep rattled through her spiel so it didn't drag on and I ordered £49 worth of stuff for £12.30.  Then I got distracted by my sister's xbox so played Lips for a while, including my MC Hammer impression.

I spent Saturday in Nottingham, for a friend's 30th. Lots of cake and curry and cocktails. I managed a little knitting on the train but mostly read Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.  It's not specifically aimed at adults but it was pretty enjoyable. The plot of the book has more depth than the film adaptation but I prefer to think of Poseidon as Kevin McKidd than a dark haired stranger.

Back home, I managed minimal ironing and caught up on the Strictly Come Dancing launch show.  I am very excited about the new series and I suppose it means Christmas is just around the corner.

Am extra worried about my laptop now - I think the internal battery has completely gone and it's playing up a bit again so I'll probably double check I backed everything up and then hit the shops on Wednesday. 

So that's that then. Back to work tomorrow. This year's certainly hurtling past but I don't feel like I'm on a treadmill at the moment.  I feel like I'm moving forward now and getting things done.

Organising

Well, backing up my laptop wasn't nearly as troublesome as I'd thought.  Who knew being organised was so easy? Click and drag and try not to drop the laptop or spill tea over it.  I was a bit confused over a few items so may have double copied some but better that than lose vital things.  Like photos of knitting from all sorts of angles.  I suppose I was putting it off as there are photos and documents from my former life that I didn't want to start sifting through but mostly I deleted folders worth of junk and felt very smug.

I'm going to a (not tupperware or avon but along those lines) party tonight - ugh.  Last time I went to one, the salesperson went all weird when I started knitting. I think she was offended but honestly, it was boring and I couldn't bear to sit through listening to more of her pitch about why her products are always voted really the best of everything.  I'm only going to support the host and eat my mum's homemade cake.  It doesn't take much to get me out of the house, when cake's involved.  Tomorrow I'm going to a real birthday party and I get to take the train and, due to the almost unfathomable prices of train tickets, I'm going first class.  Yup, first class tickets were only £3 each way more than cattle class. Imagine if that were true on aeroplanes!

Let's Knit Issue 35

Here I am modelling my new pattern. It's a cricket style low fronted v neck sweater made in local wool from Aragon Yarns. It can be found in the latest issue of Let's Knit.

I have internet at home again. I switched provider and after a slight hiccup with the modem being delivered to the wrong address, it was all smoothly installed last night. It has a nice blue light to let me know I'm connected to the internet and not hallucinating. Now I'm seriously considering upgrading my laptop to one with a bigger screen and a bigger memory and faster processor. Bigger and faster. I've almost decided which one I want and can even get a trade in on my (really) old one. I'm just being put off slightly by the thought of having to back everything up. I have an extra hard drive to back up to and I should do that anyway as I'm trying be grown up and get organised so it's just laziness really. That's always holding me back. I'm sure I could run the world if I wasn't so lazy - or at least have a new laptop. I was also quite impressed at how well my old little laptop is working , now that I've threatened it with being replaced, when its specs are soooooo far below those of the one I want to buy. I think it might have been quite expensive when I first bought it. It's even got a touch screen - you see, I was ahead of my time.

Internet Intermission

I've been without internet at home since Thursday, so just a brief post hoping that blogging will resume on Wednesday, including a picture of a sock.

:)

Trying to get organised

Ooh, it's September, the time of year when I like to start new things, get organised and get divorced. Ok, with any luck the last one hasn't set a precedent but it is certainly in keeping with starting new things in the Autumn.

This year, I'm umming and aahing about signing up for a language course. It starts at the end of the month, assuming it has enough people, but it almost clashes with the dance class I started this time last year. Oh yeah, it clashes with the fact that I'm lazy too.