A stitch in time.

OK, remember a few posts back when I said watch this space for an update on my renewed interested in knitting?  Well, I'm pleased to announce, I did it!  After ten or fifteen or maybe twenty years (as I can't remember when I last knit) in the knitting wilderness, I'm back, with a splash of colour!  It was like riding a bike.  It didn't talk me long to pick up (ha!) where I had cast off (sorry, couldn't resist!!). 

The actual knitting bit, after I had figured out where the wool started and got some tutoring from the expert (Deirdre) as to how to read the pattern, wasn't too bad.  But, I had forgotten how hard it is to actually put all the pieces together.  You need to have some sewing skills to fall back on too.  And all the lumps and bumps in this wool didn't help, but after several attempts (and swear words) I finally got all the raggy looking bits into shape.

So, without further ado, let me introduce:  (Insert Fanfare of your choice here!)  The cardigan:

Here, for proof is a (fuzzy) picture of me modelling it:

And, here's a picture of my arm modelling the support strap that it's now wearing!

After a spectacular (if I can say so myself!) comeback, it looks like my creative days are over before they have even started!  All that stocking stitching and ribbing has aggravated an old tennis elbow injury that I thought had cleared up a long time ago.  I have done some damage to my tendons!  So it looks like I will have to hang up my knitting needles again for a while and leave the knitting to the expert.

So with my needles back in their case and retired again for hopefully only a short time, I realized that I would have to come up with some other way I could be creative, indoors, this cold windy and wet January.  

Then I remembered that I had been given this book for Christmas:

I think this could be the answer.  I can be creative and rest my arm at the same time, as my trusty Kenwood Chef can do all the hard work associated with the mixing and folding and whisking that's going on between the covers of this book!   The tendons in my arm can have a well deserved rest.

Although, having read and re-read and picked out some favorites to create from this book, there is a chance that I could do some more damage to my body.  But this time it wont be my tendons, it will be my waistline!!

Oh well...

Happy Birthday Cian!

There is a young guy with a Mac
Who writes about 'offence' and 'attack'
All through the game
While the players are playin'
He talks tactics and skill with a knack!


Happy Birthday Cian!


PS.... Sorry your card is late, you can put it down to me being old and forgetful...

A wooly jumper, and it's not a sheep!

For the past few years, my big sister, (for those of you who don't know her she's called Deirdre) has been spending her spare time in the evenings knitting.  She has knit hats for small girls, hats for grown men, scarves for ladies, sweaters for small babies and all sorts of others things, including these lovely cushions that now sit on my couch.

Her knits are so good they have gone international.  A baby in Holland, a nephew of hers, is currently the proud owner of one of her knitted sweaters and another nephew in Boston is wearing an 'Auntie Deirdre Aran'.

There are some other creatures proudly sporting some of Deidre's creations at the moment.  Hens!  Yes you read that right.  As we speak, Deirdre is knitting jumpers for hens.  Always one for a good cause, Deirdre heard Pauline McGlynn (aka Mrs Doyle from the comedy series Fr. Ted) appealing for knitters to knit jumpers for battery hens that she had rescued.  Apparently when the hens were rescued from the battery farm they had no feathers and are now feeling the cold.  Deirdre accepted the challenge and sent away for the pattern, and here's a few of the sweaters for hens she has already knitted.

There will be some snazzy looking hens strutting around the Littlehill rescue center in Kildare this winter!

I also gave her a challenge which she accepted.  I saw a pattern for a very stylish cardigan on the web and asked her would she knit it for me.  She said yes, and again she sent away for the pattern.

I'm just hoping now that she doesn't get the patterns mixed up, but I won't say anything, I wouldn't want to ruffle her feathers...


PS..  While she was in Dublin for the Christmas holidays, myself and Deirdre went to a wool shop to choose wool for my stylish new cardigan.  While we were there I was persuaded by the very enthusiastic sales assistant to start knitting again.  So after 10 years in the knitting wilderness I have some balls of wool and some needles lurking in a bag at the side of my couch.  Watch this space...