Growing on the inside.

Love, love this. 

 This 100 grm ball is going a long way, my plan is to knit the whole ball, and then decide if I need the other yarn to get the size I want, this may require me to unpick a few rows, but it's a small price to pay to get a beautiful shawl, but my feeling is there is plenty of yarn.  I am using the same design as below, but no leaves, this is knitting smaller which I do like, it will fit under my jacket.

Not contented with knitting one shawl, I started this one for my friends Christmas gift. I sew the ends in before I start any more knitting on this shawl, it's not something I enjoy doing. The design is simple, so I don't need to refer to a pattern, makes knitting more enjoyable. 

 On the previous 2 shawls I only used 3 contrast colour, but here I used the 5 colours I had, my friend has a love of colour, so it's perfect for her. 

This plant sits on our downstairs bathroom window sill, it does get sunlight in the later morning and afternoon, I can't wait for these to bloom, they are a bright pink. I won't move this plant, as often when I have moved them the buds fall off. I might be tempted to leave the bathroom door open whilst they flower. 

I also have another Orchid, with a new stem, so it will probably flower before Christmas, I still have 7 blooms on my white Orchid, and they aren't fading as yet, I showed it first here, so flowering for over 2 months.
Monday was great fun with Will, it's so interesting to view our world through the eyes of a toddler, he does feel so grown up, the number of times through the day we hear why?. His potty time is going well, he takes himself to the bathroom and was accident free the whole day.
Tuesday was sign class, we only have a few more classes left, it will stop in December, which is really sad, I need to find a way to use my sign language, I don't want to forget everything we have learnt. I am focusing on my online course as well. I have been promised help once I get to level 2. The fireworks were very close and very loud all evening, both cats were unhappy, normally Purdy is not bothered, but we could hear the bangs over the TV, as one house finished another started, it went on for ages. Our garden was full of bits of plastic from fireworks on Wednesday morning.
I have a big blog milestone coming up, I will tell you more next time, I am planning a giveaway.

November garden

The garden now closing down for winter, 

I love the colours on the leaves on my blueberry bush. 

 This back section is full of berries for the birds, it's looking good, this small bed is shrubs, I try not to do much here, it looks after itself. Just the front corner is bare, I am looking for ground cover plants which will live in heavy clay, so far everything I have put in here has not survived. 

 Roses in November, nothing surprises me in the garden anymore, after the rain these are not so bright, I won't cut them and bring them inside. You can just see the Salvia, hotlips, their red tips planted around the rose. 

 This Dahlia has been brilliant this year,  the worm juice I feed it is working well. The new fence is protecting this bed, my metal birds along the shelf, are all now stored in my shed, they will return in the spring. 

Saturday the weather was horrible, wet and windy all day, we did not go out, hubby watched the rugby final, he is not a fan of the style of play from the South African team and did not enjoy the match. I sat and did some knitting, most of the time with Grace on my lap. The other fence has taken another battering, I'm amazed it is still standing, but her cats can't get through so we will leave it as long as we can. Grace is a very timid cat, and our garden is her safe place, we have never seen her leave the back garden, so I am keen to ensure we stop other cats getting in. We picked up huge amounts of leaves, I don't have any room to make leaf compost, so they all went into the council garden waste bag. These photo's were taken after our tidy up, hubby purchased a leaf sucker which is brilliant in the garden, neither of us like to see leaves on the ground.
Sunday, hubby went out on his motorbike with friends, it's probably the last ride out this year, they only ride on dry days. It was bright in the morning, after the storms of Saturday. I did house work and then craft. I am knitting like mad, I want to finish both shawls, and finish these socks. I also weaved in all the ends on the cotton blanket I made for George, it's not a task I enjoy doing, but it's now neat and safe for a baby.
It's firework time again, we have heard them most evenings this week, both nights they were very loud, Grace spent the both evenings on my lap, I have moved the cat beds to behind the sofa, both cats feel safe there, they will be there for over a week until the fireworks stop, Purdy will watch the fireworks through the patio door if they are not too noisy.
Today is Will's day, I am not sure if mummy will spend the day with us, she only has a few weeks to go before George arrives, she knows her date, but is only telling immediately family, unfortunately she is not allowed a natural birth.

Knitting

A few times as a crafter, I get in my hands perfection, so well balanced it makes my heart sing, normally it's fabric which makes me feel this way. BUT this yarn is just so stunning, I have purchased hand dyed yarns before, and been disappointed, but this from Burrow & Soar is stunning. 

 I have started knitting, it is just so beautiful, the colours ping out at me, lovely little gems in my knitting. This yarn is so perfect, I could only knit the simplest of designs, nothing fussy all I need is the colours. 

I am not following any design, just doing a simple garter stitch, 

and two row increase and decrease. 

Cast on 3 stitches

Row 1, Increase in the 1st stitch and knit to end. 

Row 2, Knit 2 together, knit to last stitch and increase in last stitch. 

This creates the gentle curves on the scarf. 

 I purchased this yarn, it's Drops Baby Merino, but I will have loads of these shades left over, I am thinking if the shawl won't be big enough for me I may add one or more shades to it along the wide end. I can balance it out by making crochet flowers in these shades for the pointy end. Only issue is I will have to find out how to crochet flowers, as I have only done it once before many years ago. 

 The yarns do look similar, and should work together.
I will wait until I am finished with this yarn, if needs be I can unpick a few rows and add the pale shades. 

 I wore the bottom shawl out this week to have lunch with a friend, she loved it, so that's another Christmas gift sorted, I have yarn left over from these and will knit her a shawl, we always give hand made items, she is a great baker and makes jams and pickles. 

I am able to knit again, not for too long, but it does feel good to be holding needles again, the garden needs very little work so it's crafting time again. I have loads of things I need to finish this month, and a couple need making from scratch, plus 2 Christmas cakes to make.
It's been a busy week, I was out on Tuesday with a couple of old friends, we had lunch and then a visit to the shops, where I spent very little, we are planning to do this once a month, that said it's December before we can meet again. Wednesday was a day at home, housework was done, and then reading, and sorting yarn. Thursday I went out for coffee with my neighbour, which turned into lunch, and another look at shops, but in a different place.
Today I have an eye test soon, which is going to cost me, but I won't buy cheap glasses, hubby and I will walk around town (Fareham) and have lunch out, so a simple tea tonight. We are both looking for stocking fillers,

October roundup

It's the end of the month and I look at my spending, most of the yarn purchased was for crochet blankets for our baby grandson, due next month. Plus some hand dyed yard for a shawl. I also purchased some round glass shapes for my glass fusion.

I did spend £28 on 2 pairs of jeans, both comfortable to wear, new clothes and shoes totalling just  £197.80 this year, I'm really pleased with myself. £22 on Christmas decorations, I have no desire to purchase any more for the festive season, but I do like to treat myself to something new each year for my tree.

We have not purchased anything big for the house nothing is required. Our fence between us and our horrible neighbours has taken another bashing in the winds, but because her garden is so overgrown they are staying upright. We are saving as much as we can so if they break we can replace them, we already know she will not pay anything towards it. Our boiler is working well, the issue from the water heater does not show when the heating is on, strange, but helpful through the winter months.

We put the heating on this month, Just mornings and evenings, we are both warm and often when we touch the radiators they are off, the temperature is set at 19c, I normally feel the cold, but the house is snug and warm, which is great, as we have oak wooden floors and few carpets, which in years past always added to the house being slow to warm. We will never be able to save enough to equal the cost of the new windows, but being warm is more important. At this point we are saving over 50p each day on last year, looking promising.

No food waste again, we have been eating from the freezer, it was full of meats, hubby was looking at turkey crowns, but as yet we have no freezer space to get them early.

We have done most of our tiny Christmas shopping, with baby George due in December, I want to be free to help daughter as much as we can.