Birthday Meme

I got tagged with my first meme by Carrie. Go to Wikipedia, type in your birth month and day. Choose 3 events, 2 births and 1 holiday. My birthday is one of the most depressing days of the year. Apart from the getting older side of things, everyone's already partied out, so there's not much festive cheer around. I mean, have YOU ever been out on Jan 2nd? Here goes anyway......

3 Events
1870 The construction of the Brooklyn Bridge starts. I am always fascinated with history channel type documentaries on building bridges, or any sort of construction for that matter. The last one I saw was about the Golden Gate bridge. The people who engineer these projects have such strength, vision and determination.
1974 - Richard Nixon signs a bill lowering the maximum US speed limit to 55 MPH in order to conserve gasoline during an OPEC embargo. I first visited the USA in, from memory, 1995 and remember the limit still being 55. Seems like a leisurely pace of life - maybe we should go back to that.
1979 - Sid Vicious goes on trial for the murder of Nancy Spungen. It is pretty much impossible to find anything nice going on on Jan 2nd. Unless you live in Scotland - see holiday below :-)

2 Births
1642 Mehmed IV, Ottoman Sultan -Turkey is one of my favourite countries. I travelled there many times in my 20's. The Istanbul skyline rivals Manhattan's beauty in my eyes. And the Turkish people are very warm and welcoming, despite having frightening moustaches.
1973 Lucy Davis, British Actress - Famed as Dawn in the UK version of The Office. Love her. And her Dad. She was married in St Pauls Cathedral, same as Princess Di.

1 Holiday
Second day of the Hogmanay Bank Holiday, Scotland. Yes, the Scots know how to do it. I have spent a couple of Hogmanay's in that land (hic).

Monkeys

Here are my completed Monkey Socks. Pattern from Knitty.com. Yarn is Socks That Rock, colour 'Watermelon Tourmaline'. Thanks to Carrie for sending me the yarn - it was very nice to knit with and makes these socks really cosy. I will definitely be checking out some more of that in the future. I enjoyed making these a lot and may consider making more.

I really like how the colours pooled in a sort of spiral around the socks.

This first picture is of Hubbs and I modelling the socks and showing off our tattoos. She has the stars, I have the flowers.

I love my tattoo. Sometime, I'd like another. Maybe my boy's initials. But where?

Never the shrinking violet, Matt wanted in on the sock wearing and camera action. Here he is in Hubbs' back garden. She has the most wonderful lawn, manicured lovingly each week by her husband, the great JT. He mows it once, then again the following day, with what I can only describe as an antique! Looks great, doesn't it.

Knit In Public

Did everyone know that it's Worldwide Knit In Public day?

I did, but had no plans to do so. Until I walked out of John Lewis in Welwyn Garden City today and found the KIP tent with a lot of lovely ladies making tiny hats for Innocent drinks. Go here to find out more about their charitable efforts for the elderly of the U.K.

There was also a lady with a MASSIVE pair of needles made from broomsticks. She very kindly allowed me to try them out. They were quite difficult to manoeuvre to begin with, but I could see it being addictive once you got the hang of it.
Above, Teddy is holding the tiny hat I made with RYC cashsoft.

Hogwarts here we come

I'm not a fan of Harry Potter, although I did read the first book. But who can resist taking this picture in Kings Cross train station?

:-)

Introducing..........Hubbs

Greetings from England. Guess what, it rained almost the whole first week and was cold. I never thought I'd miss Florida, but.... Welcome back Disco!!! We are staying with my best friend Hubbs, her DH and two DSs.

First, it's RIP to my Lantern Moons, broken

in a wrestling match between my

Godsons. I should know better than to buy nice things for myself. I take consolation that they were purchased in the Knit Happens sale however, so I didn't pay full price, phew. We made a modern art display of them amongst the bamboo in Hubbs' garden. Pretty.

These beautiful stones reside by the bamboo. They were picked up by Hubbs in Lynmouth and Clovelley in North Devon. More pretty.

Hubbs is a knitter, but only of garter stitch scarves in 'novelty' yarns. I sent her some Alpaca for Christmas in an attempt to whet her appetite for luxury yarns. Here is the result. A garter stitch scarf. The gold adds a little sparkle. Even more pretty.

Anyone who knows me, knows I love the Alpaca Silk, so of course, I had to bring her some of that, and, in an attempt to expand on the garter stitch scarf, she made a spiral scarf. In less than a week she's completed it. Be still my beating heart though, she knotted the ends of the yarn!!!
And this afternoon she asked me to teach her the purl stitch. Someone pass me the smelling salts.

TOYS!

I've been playing with some new 'toys'. First some new needles. I'm using Addi Turbos for the first time - making a hairband for Hubbs to match her prairie tunic (which turned up in the mail 4 weeks later, phew!). I love them, they're so slidy and easy to use.
Also, making a pink baby cardigan with some beautiful Lantern Moon Rosewoods. Oh my, they are wonderful too. The yarn is Debbie Bliss' Cashmerino Astrakhan, edged with Cashmerino Aran. It is such a pretty combination.

And isn't this a sight for a knitter's sore eyes. We turned our kitchen table into a craft table this afternoon and I used my swift and winder for the first time. Teddy REALLY wanted to learn how to do it, so that's him 'helping'. We're winding the STR Watermelon Tourmaline that Carrieknits sent me and I'm going to make Monkey Socks from knitty.com with it.








And here we all are enjoying an early family birthday celebration for Matthew who'll be turning 2 next Sunday. Doesn't time fly, as they say.... He enjoyed his party very much and was a bit befuddled when we started handing him gifts at the end. He got over it though and was very happy tearing the wrapping off them all. This morning there was ALOT of lego on the floor. :-)

The small boys and I are flying to England on Wednesday night for a month of visiting family and friends there and in North Wales and Ireland too. We intend to make the trip into London a few times, going on the London Eye, visiting the Aquarium, taking on open top bus tour. Then when DH arrives we'll be off to North Wales to spend time with my Grandparents and Aunts, then getting the ferry over to Dublin and driving down to Kinsale to visit his cousin & family. It will be an exciting trip.

Bon Voyage.......

Overlapping Waves

Cute boy picture first. This is how we found them this morning. Teddy had climbed into Matt's crib, and they were both eating fruit sweeties.

Teddy had at least dressed himself first :-)

Now here's a better picture of the hairband I made last week.

And here is the scarf/wrap I made for my MIL. The stitch pattern is Overlapping Waves, 8 repeats across the row. Made with Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk DK. I completed 48 pattern repeats and it came out 8½" wide and 88" long. Blocking really separated the lace holes and made it look a lot better.