HAPPY NEW YEAR

Happy New Year
everyone xxx

361 sleeps until Christmas

Christmas over for another year! I'm pleased to say that we kept our Christmas wrapping /rubbish to a minimum. Most of the kids toys this year where made in Germany so there was little packaging. Santa chose quality over quantity this year.

My partner and I where trying to get away from big branded toys/ plastic toys with all the packaging that required wire cutters to get into it, or toys that require batteries to perform for the kids, rather than the kids using their imagination when playing with a toy. I find that once the batteries run out, the toy becomes a dust catcher in the childs room and replacing all the batteries ends up costing a fortune! The exception for battery powered toys was my daughter's camera which she got last Christmas. I bought rechargable batteries and when I remember to charge the batteries she has a great time with it!

I have a soft spot for wooden toys. My 7 month old son got some plain wooden blocks for Christmas. They where a hit. His older siblings have been building castles and boats. Little Loopity-Lou has had great delight in knocking them over and giving them a good gummy.

Ok, It's time I picked up the needles again.

I went down to The Wool Inn at Penrith to see what I was doing wrong. I showed the Lady behind the counter my tension square (I called it a spaghetti square). We had a giggle - I'm such an L-plater. It was as simple as having my yarn behind and not in front. She pulled up a chair and watched me knit a few rows to make sure I was on the right track. I thanked her and I was on my way.

The Cardigan that I'm attempting is a Patons Book 1212 Lush Luxury Mohair Blend Cardigan with a crew neck and long Sleeves (page 15, style 9B). It seems simple for an L-plater like me - well a good place to start anyway. The yarn that I'm using is Moda Vera Sentiments. I like the colour of the wool and it was on special for $2 a ball so if I bugger it up, it hasn't cost me a fortune in nice wool.

In the beginning . . .

I'm not sure where to start!

I've been blogged out - there are so many inspiring knitting blog sites, so I've bitten the bullet and stared my own .

There are knitters on both sides of my family - both of my Grandmas, my Auntie (who is an amazing knitter. I hope one day I can be as good as her) and my mum. So it was inevitable that the knitting gene has been passed on to my daughter and I.

I did a little bit of knitting when I was little (scarves for my Teddy Bear). Then it stopped. It wasn't until a few years ago when my partner, daughter and myself went on a driving holiday around New Zealand that I discovered all these wool shops on our travels. I found my passion to want to take up knitting again. I bought 2 kits, some hanks of rainbow coloured wool and a pair of knitting needles. I knitted 2 scarves while my partner droved around 6000 km which took 21 days (the trip not the scarves). I didn't drive back then and I'm only on my L's now.

This year I have picked up the needles again and knitted 3 ponchos; one for my daughter and the other 2 for friends as pressies and a scarf for another friend as a chrissy present.

The Poncho that I knitted for my daughter is quite sentimental to me. I did it while I was breastfeeding my new born at about 8 weeks old. He didn't wriggle as much then and as he took so long to feed, I had to do something. Now at 6 months he tries to gummmy everything he can get his little hands on. I feel it's time for me to take the challenge and knit either a cardie or a jumper for myself. But with active kids, maybe it's easier said than done!

So here's my journey.

L-Plate Blogger As Well!

Time to figure out how all this works.