Little Dreams

Sorry I seem to be so behind in the blogging world these days and I've missed all your blogs so much.  To be honest apart from being very busy, I'm lucky if I get anywhere near my laptop as the kids have discovered a maths game site and of course the Moshi Monster craze has taken over here too.
I would love to promise that I'll be popping over to you all in the next few weeks but I know that I'm going to be so hectic that there is no chance that it will happen!!  Work is finally progressing at quite a fast pace with the new floor down, the electrics sorted and a new ceiling going up at the start of next week.  Then the real fun will start........the decorating!  Oh I so can't wait.  I have all the paint colours picked and wallpapers chosen to spruce up some of the furniture.  And I've got some little things like cushion covers made for the chairs and sofa but no curtains yet.  I'm still unsure about what curtains to make as all the windows are a very strange size so I've decided to wait and see what it the whole studio looks like when it's all decorated.

As you can see, I've been doing a little bit of stitching again.  I decided that I needed a bag to carry around my knitting in.  Like I really don't already have enough of those!!  But this is a very lovely kntting project in gorgeous squishy Debbie Bliss yarn that I am absolutely loving at the moment.  I so needed to take a break from all the crochet for a while because it was causing tremendous pain in my hand and arm.  The weight and size of my Granny stripe blanket not helping matters at all. Anyhow I'm babbling now so back to my bag.

 The second that I saw this thick cotton fabric in newspaper print, I knew just what I wanted it to be.  It was a delight to work with and it's so strong it's just perfect for bag making.  I wanted a real wow contrast for the lining and I had some of this black floral material left over from a skirt that I started (and yet to finish) during the summer.  Maybe it's just my taste but I think that it works well.  When I started I hadn't intended to mix the fabrics for the pockets, it just seemed to develop that way.  When it was all finished, I realised that the bag is just as good turned inside out.  So now I have two looks in just one bag.  Yippee.

This is the reason for all my excitement about my sewing of late.  Meet Cissy, my new sewing machine.  My gorgeous hubby decided that he would buy me an early Christmas present.  As I was in dire need of a sewing machine, it was ordered online and it was delivered just two days later.  I love her enormously.  I have always wanted one of these machines after trying out some others belonging to friends.  They are so user friendly even for a sewing twit like me.

I was like a child opening up the parcel and the first thing that I did when I got her out of the box was to give her a great big hug.   I called her Cissy as this was my Mum's nickname as a child.  It's something that I've always dreamt of owning but because of the cost never thought that I would. My Hubby said to me, "you see it's the little dreams that matter because they can sometimes come true!"

And you know what for once he's right!!  The sewing machine and the progress on my studio be simple little things to other people but all these things matter a whole lot to me.  To see an end in sight with Studio Benny has me bubbling up inside with excitement.  I can just see myself sitting at my workbench with Cissy stitching happily away while the dog sleeps in her bed next to a small fire in the stove and the kids playing with their toys at the other end.

What are you dreaming of right now??
Rosie

AWOL

I went AWOL lately from blogland due to an ickey uckey virus that absolutely knocked the wind out of me. All that I seemed to be able to do was sleep.  I felt like I should have gotten down on all fours, drawn whiskers on my face and pinned a tail to my bum because I was living just like the cats in our house.  On my better days I managed to get a bit of stitching and sewing done.  I was feeling very low through all of this time because it was taking so long to pass but now in a strange kind of way I've realised that it has helped me a great deal.  I've been having a bad pain flare up since May due to my severe insomnia but all the sleep that I've been getting lately has broken that fatigue-pain cycle for me.  Slowly I feel like I'm getting a little more energy every day and my pain levels are beginning to drop at last.  Granted I am now writing this post at 2 am in the morning but I'm just a little giddy over something exciting that's happening tomorrow.  Well it is for me anyway!!

Yippeeee  I just can't wait!!

I've got a few crafty pieces finished in the last while but i never got around to showing them to you, so here goes.

After working for so long on the granny stripe blanket, I needed a break to something different.  I wanted a quick project so that I could at last see something done and totally complete.  The blanket at the mo feels like its taking forever to finish.  I found this little beauty of a pattern in Inside Crochet and it just hit the spot.  I just don't know what it is about me and doilies right now but I want to make lots of them and in lovely bright colours too.  Maybe it's because I'm just not quite ready for the winter that's knocking on the door!!

Sorry for the poor photo here but the light was not too good the afternoon that I took this picture....I know, I know that doesn't excuse the creases in my cloth, what can I say only sorry again.  I've been wanting to try making notebook covers for a while now and this was my first attempt.  I must say that I really enjoyed it and I learned a hell of a lot in the process.  I know that I'm certainly going to be making more of them.  Look out in your Christmas stockings everyone!!

I went to a patch work class the other day and one of the first projects was a rag cushion.  I'm so loving how it turned out.  It's a simple but very effective design and such a great starting point for a learner like me.  My biggest fault is that I'm not very good at cutting things precisely the right size and this class is perfect for me to learn this.  I'm really looking forward to the rest of the classes to see what will be coming next!

This little baby I made quite a while ago but forgot to show it to you.  It's one of my favourite things that I've ever made.  I love how it's not in any way perfect, nor did I worry if it wasn't.  I love the mix of colours.

I love that I finally managed to do buttonholes on a sewing machine.  I love the unexpected bright colours of the back.  And I love that it's the first cushion that everyone goes for when they sit on the couch....even the dog!!

So that's all from me now.  I hope to catch up on some blogs in the next few days.

Rosie xx

PS  Thanks for all the lovely comments on my last post called Like Minded People.  They were so lovely to read.  Sadly though I had to delete the post due to spam that kept popping up in the comment box.  But thanks again, I so enjoy reading all your lovely thoughts and comments.  They really help me to get to know you better.

Miss Forget-Me-Not

I wanted to write this post to say thank you to a very special lady, Stephanie of millefeuilles.blogspot.ie.  In June of this Year, I contacted Stephanie and asked her if she would make one of her beautiful hares for my daughters eight birthday.

She asked for me to describe Lucy and all that she liked and disliked so that she could get a picture in her mind of who she was making the present for.

We chatted back and forth over the coming weeks and I felt so naughty keeping a secret from Lucy.  She has a knack of getting people to tell the truth!!

I waited with my nerves on edge for my phone to ping with the first photographs of this little beauty. When it finally arrived I found that Stephanie only sent me a picture of the dress.  I was so impatient with excitement at this stage, I felt like I was fit to burst!   But Stephanie was being a little on the cruel side and made me wait a whole day more and even at that only sent me one picture at a time.  You meanie Stephanie!!

 
With each and every photo I fell in love with this hare more.  I loved all of the little details that made it so very special, the embroidery, the beautiful material for the dress, the little handbag, the lace finished bloomers and of course the sweet little face.
Now all I had to do was wait for it to arrive for Lucy's birthday.

When Lucy opened the package, she screamed with delight. I know my daughter and I know that she really does appreciated anything that's handmade and that she will take great care of it.  She instantly bonded with Miss Forget-Me-Not and I found it very hard to get some pictures of her because every time that I picked her up to take some piccies, Lucy ran over and took her back off me!

My husband sings an old Irish song to Lucy now when he sees her playing with the hare.

The daisies and the roses 

are blooming round the spot

where we parted 

and she whispered

"you'll forget me not".

So thank you very much Stephanie.  It was a real pleasure working with such an incredibly talented lady as you.  You made something that I know my daughter will treasure forever.

Rosie xx

Yummy Crochet!!

Dont you just want to dive into this!
This big basket of yarn has brought me a lot of pleasure of the last few weeks.  The bright colours have cheered me in the most stressful of times and just the thought of sitting down to crochet with it was like an instant sedative.
A couple of months ago I decided to buy an Attic 24 pack of mixed Stylecraft yarn for a blanket for Benny the studio. (Work on Benny has been severely held up due to turf!!! Very frustrating indeed).  I don't normally ike using acrylics but I wanted something that would be tough and durable and easy to wash as it was going to be used as a throw for the kids couch in my studio.  I must say this has totally won me over.  it is so easy to work with and soft to the touch.

I have not altogether stuck to Lucy's pattern and changed some of the colours and removed others that were in the pack to suit the studio when its finished.  The only mistake that I made is that I think that I may have made it a bit too long!!  I decided to make it 300 sts on the foundation chain as I need it too cover the couch.  Ehh but too much there Rosie!  Now the blanket measures a whopping 2,5m.  Hence the reason I could only get some if it in the picture!!  But I'm thinking now that in the winter I can always bring it into the house and use it on one of the kids beds to keep them nice and snug.
 For such a plain pattern it is totally addictive.  I can never wait to chose the next colour and I love seeing all the different combinations coming together.  I quite often have wrecked the heads of the family asking "what colour will come next?".  I think that they are just picking the first one that their hands land on at this stage, just to shut me up!!!

Over the last few evenings I have noticed how the nights are closing in faster and faster.  After such a long winter, it has seemed like the summer months have just not lasted long enough.  It saddens me to see the long nights returning so quickly after the glorious weather that we've been having.  I have loved this hot weather this year.  It happens so rarely here in Ireland unfortunately.  So I just couldn't understand why my kids hated it so much.  They hid in the house and cried that it was too hot to venture outside until the evening.  What?? I remember hot summers as a child where my parents would bring us swimming every day whether that was to the coast or to the nearest river or lake.  We were all good swimmers at very young ages so that was the one passtime that we all did together.  Fun times.

One other thing that I've loved most about this summer is that my garden has blossomed brilliantly and the bees and butterflies have been attracted by all of the different smells and colours.  Just sitting in the garden stitching and listening the the hum of the bees busying themselves has been pure heaven.  The unmistakable perfume of the sweet peas wafting through the breeze.

The white sweet peas here are a perennial plant and are unperfumed but are perfect for cutting.  They are more robust then the perfumed ones and last longer when brought into the house.  I like to mix them with the pretty, delicate blooms of regular ones.  It has brought me so much pleasure to bring in posies of flowers from my own garden and display them on the kitchen table or windowsill.  They have been often given as gifts too to family and friends when we visit, tied with pretty ribbons and wrapped in pretty tissue paper.

My other favourite in the garden has to be my lupins.  I have quite a few of them in quite an array of colours.  I love how the blooms last so long on them and they just keep flowering all summer long.  I have sat for long periods just watching how perfectly designed that the individual flowers are to accommodate the bees in their job collecting pollen.  As the bee lands on the bottom lip of the flower, that is the darker pink triangle at the bottom, the whole bloom opens out to reveal the golden treasure inside.  The bees finally hurry off home with their legs and tummy covered in a thick fur of sweet pollen.  Isn't nature magical?

Anyway must pop off for now.  Chat you all soon.  I have something very beautiful to show you.
Rosie xx

Sweet Birdie Cushion

Monday's are my busiest, it being my main cleaning day of the week.  But this morning as I sat among the chaos of toys, dolls and lego with the laundry baskets piled high with clothes waiting to be put away, I just was not ready to face it.  Out of the corner of my eye i spotted some fabric that for days has been willing me to use it.  So deciding that the mess would still be here tomorrow, I decided to have a quiet crafting day to myself.

I bought this lovely birdie material in Ikea a few months ago and i must say that I'm totally in love with it.  I needed it to cover a couple of stools that have seen some better days but I bought more than enough for the intended job.  I'm always in need of new cushion covers with all the pets that are in this house.  So decision made, all housework can wait!!

Mitred corners have daunted me and I've often found that written instructions for them in books can be quite confusing.  But I was determined that I was going to conquer them.  This I did not quite manage to do.  More of a gentle nudge than conquering!  It may be a little on the wonky side and I need to use a point maker on the corners but all the same I'm proud of this first attempt of mine.  And it's robust enough to be able to survive the battering that cushions take in this house.  It will probably be thrown straight on the floor by the kids when they come home so that they can sit on it while playing the xbox.

In other news, my pile of granny squares is rapidly growing.  I've already reached half way -  out of 35 out of  70 finished.  When I say finished, I'm not including weaving in the ends.  With the last blanket I found that the overall finish was better when I weaved the ends after the squares were all crocheted together.  Even though I was dreading the thought of all those ends, it turned out to be quite therapeutic.  I put on my latest audible book on my phone and mindlessly weaved in the ends slowly.  Better get back to more crocheting if I'm to have it ready for the campervan in the summer.

Rosie xx

A Secret Obsession

I must admit that I have a secret love!

A love of little things that are small and colourful and often round.

My love is for all things buttony.

I cannot walk past a habadashery shop without stopping to buy some more to add to my collection.

This pizza tray is at least five buttons deep.

I mean how could you walk away from these beauties.  

To me it's just unthinkable.

I have both new and vintage in the mix here.  

My local charity shop saves them off clothes heading to recycling and then sells bags of them for only a couple of cent.

These 2" buttons were found there.  

I just had to give them a home.

So the other day I decided that I wanted to make something special with all of these little treasures.  my large sweet jar that I normally keep them in was beginning to overflow.

I decided on a butterfly picture for my daughters bedroom wall.  

Lucy helped me to pick out the colours and to set them out.

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out....

but what do you think?

Rosie xx

PS Only 8 more days until my blog's first birthday!!  

I'm thinking about a competition.

More to be revealed on my birthday.

Hexie Chaos

Well I've been so slack with my blogging lately and I just don't know why.  But I do know that I've been crafting and stash busting like mad.  I'm knitting a fluffy rabbit and a pom-pom scarf and finally took the plunge and started making a dress for Lucy. But more on that another day.

With the beautiful fabric that I bought from Ada over at Vintage Sheet Addict, I finally decided to begin the hexagon cushion cover that I've been dreaming/talking about for ages.  Now I've never done paper piece work before and I was so very nervous starting.  My hands were shaking as I began to cut into the beautiful material.  I cut about 40 hexies in total, about 5 in each colour.  I was going to do a hexie flower pattern but Lucy begged me to sew it in a "mish mash pattern".

I must say that as I sat down to start sewing the hexies together, I was in heaven!  It was so long since I did some hand sewing and I had forgotten how much I really loved it.  It is so relaxing sitting there with just a small needle and some thread, making the tiniest of stitches I possibly could.

But as more hexies were joined on to the cushion cover, I realised that it did not look right at all.  The pieces are not sitting flat and the pattern (or non-pattern) is just not working.  I am so disappointed and feel like pulling my, already scarce, hair out over it.  Can I even take a stitch ripper to it without even destroying the material??  I've watched You Tube tutorials and read lots about paper piecing and they always make it look so easy.  I just don't know what I'm doing wrong here.  Any hints??

Anyway, onto the Special Baby Unit knitting that I mentioned last time.  I found a great page that has all the patterns needed.  Knitting Pattern Central has some fantastic patterns for free and I'm going to be testing lots out.  I hope that if anybody has a bit of spare time and a little spare wool in their stash, that maybe you might help me with this.  It does not matter if it's a cardi, a hat or even just a tiny pair of mittens,I would be ever so grateful, as I'm sure the Unit and babies would be too.

That's the end of my babble for tonight.  I'm hoping to pick up on my posting again soon.  I aim to hit the 100 post mark before my blogs 1st birthday in May.

Rosie xx

Toddler Blanket

This is my big "Ta Dah" moment.  Finally I've finished my Toddler Blanket and I must say that it's been my favourite project ever.  Initially I was not so happy making it because I didn't really like the colours that I was using and I was convinced that it wouldn't work out but slowly I found other colours in my stash to add to it and brighten it up.  I will confess now and I did break my stash busting promise that I made at the start of the year.  I needed something to crochet the squares together that would bring it to life and when I spotted the green in the local yarn shop, I just knew that it would be perfect for the job.  But I did only buy three balls and I did use all of it on squares and the border.  So here it is......

Well?? What do you think?  Did it turn out ok?  I decided to use a double crochet stitch to join the squares instead of just a slip stitch because I love to see the obvious join and to make it not too uniform, I set them going in different directions.  Maybe not to everybody's taste but I like it like this.

I had to do the border a couple of times to get the tension right and that was a little frustrating but i got there eventually!

Folded and ready to wrap up into a nice parcel.

I met my friend today after 7 years and it was just like she had never left as we sat down on the sofa together chatting and gossiping and just catching up on all that we've missed out with each other.  There was a lot of laughter because I saw her little son for the first time and he had the most infectious giggle and we just couldn't help joining in with him.  I was very sad when our visit came to an end and I cried after she left not knowing when the next time would be that I would see her again.  But the thought that she loved the blanket cheered me and that she would have a little bit of me to bring home with her again.

Rosie xx

Nearing An End

Last weekend was Paddy's weekend here in Ireland but unfortunately I was not out celebrating like a wild thing.  Instead I headed down to my Mum's house with a roaring temperature and a very bad kidney infection for a little bit of mothering.  After all that's been happening here over the last few weeks with my son being in and out of hospital, I craved the comfort of being with my mother.  I needed somebody to wrap me up in a duvet and make me water bottle while I drank hot cups of tea.  I was a sad sight, cocooned in a duvet on her couch while sweat dripped from my forehead.
But my Mum being my Mum made me feel better in no time at all.  And I soon had the energy to sit on the floor and do the lay out for my toddlers blanket.  All the squares are now finished and it will easily cover a single bed.  So it should do the little man in question a while yet.

There are 35 squares in total with varying shades of green, blue and pink.  With the base colours of white and grey.  I hope that they work out as well as I hope.  We were both happy with the lay out when we tried.

I used only three types of blocks. One square spinner, a plain granny and a mixed colour granny.

Now is the hard part.  I think that I'm going to crochet the blocks together instead of sewing, to make it more robust for a toddler.  And then on to weaving in all of those millions of ends!!!  I think that a sit down with an audio book for a few evening will do the trick.  I'm in a hurry for this blanket to be finished now because my friend B is coming home from Oz next week with her Hubby and little man.  I can't wait to see her as it's been at least seven years since we've last met.  I'm getting excited just thinking about it.

Wish me luck with the finishing off and I'll chat you all soon.

Rosie xx

PS Thanks for your comments on my last cry for help about bloglovin on my phone.  I've still not had any joy with that but I've sent and email to the help board and am awaiting an answer.

Swapped

First of all, I would like to thank everybody for their kind and caring comments about my sons illness.  They were truly welcome and helped to cheer me up no end to know that I have good bloggy friends out there.  Patrick is doing so much better now and even though he is still getting some headaches, he has been able to return to school and even played a GAA match for the school team on Sunday!  He scored a goal and he was smiling from ear to ear for a whole day after.

Just as I needed something to cheer me up after the stressful previous week the postman arrived with a neat little package from my Bobo Bun Swap partner, Ethel from Eco Ethel.

It contained four lovely pressies, all wrapped up in music sheets.  i loved the wrapping so much that I tried my best not to tear when opening them.  For colour there was a lovely "cake" badge, that is now sitting happily on my rucksack.
Vintage was a beautiful pink table mat with applique flowers.
For handmade Ethel sent me a sweet little button necklace, purple in colour.  And handy enough I had just bought a new jumper and I was looking for a necklace to go with it.  This one just suits the bill.
And finally my favourite, for handmade there were two Dandy comic buntings.  I just loved comics as a child and if I'm honest I still do.  So this was a perfect swap idea.
Thanks Ethel.  Your pressies cheered me up no end and it arrived just at the perfect time for me.

This is what I sent to Ethel:

For colour I made an apple and pear pinny.

For handmade I knitted a chunky handbag.  Perfect for carrying knitting WIPs.

Vintage was a small little coin purse.

Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of the childhood pressie.  I thought that a wooden cup and ball toy would keep Ethel entertained.

For a first swap, I must say that I enjoyed it most thoroughly.  I will definitely do it again.

Do you enjoy swaps?  Did you get anything nice?

Rosie xx

Knitting Nutter

My energy levels have been at an all time low over the last few days.  True to my promise to myself, I've walked the dog every morning.  Unfortunately all I was fit for after that was to surround myself with yarnie comfort and knit and crochet to both calm and sooth.
I managed to finished another Christmas present.  This cute little bag was such fun to knit.  Being the twit that I am, I lost the pattern but I think that it is one by Louisa Harding.  I used Lambs Pride Worsted and Irish Tweed.  It's a slip stitch pattern which I think is the best for things like handbags because it forms quite a robust material.  I lined it with a lovely dark green cotton that was a lovely contrast to the outside.

I also finished a cute little colourful mittens for my son.  He's been asking me for ages to make these and even bought the wool himself.  I've been doing the 'Mittens and Gloves Galore'  by Marly Bird on Craftsy.  As I've said before, I love doing craftsy courses.  It is great to be able to follow it at your own pace and it also comes on a mobile app. Brrriliant!  So waiting for the kids outside the school or long journeys in the car is now a lot more interesting.  Unfortunately like everything crafty, it gets addictive and I keep finding new courses that I want to take and new things that I want to learn.  Even things that I had never even heard of before and hadn't previously known that I want to know it!!!!!


Before I go, I need to ask for a bit of help with something that's been driving me loopy lately.  I'd love to know how to put in breaks between topics in my post.  I've seen some blogs that have gorgeous little hearts or stars or the like but I just do not know how to put them in for my posts.  Are your posts written on Word?  Is there something that I'm missing out on in my toolbar.  I'm not the best at computers and since I started this blog I've learned so much and  I'm hoping to keep on improving it all the time.  A little help on this would be greatly appreciated.

Rosie xx

Rethinking My Resolutions

I've often intended to show you this little beauty.  Well it is a beauty to me anyway!  This is one of the first purses that I made on my sewing machine and I'm so very proud of it.  It goes everywhere with me as it contains my emergency stock of medicine.  I thought that if I have to carry something ugly like my drugs than I should put into something pretty.
When I first saw this fabric in a shop in Galway, I burst out laughing much to the bewilderment of the shop owner and the embarrassment of my friend.  I laughed because my Dad once had a tie with the exact same pattern on it, except that it was made out of silk and was shiny!  It was out of his 1970's collection and was really, really wide.  Think 'Streets of San Francisco', psychedelic style!

A Very Thoughtful Gift

I received this cute little 'Happy Bag' from a friend as a Christmas present.  When I first opened the package I was baffled that somebody would give me a bag with string, a marble and a rubber band in it.  But when I read the label, I realised how sweet it really was.  This is what the label read;
An Eraser so you can make mistakes disappear.
Five Cent piece so that you are never broke again.
A Marble in case someone says you've lost yours.
A Rubber Band to stretch yourself to the limits.
A piece of String to tie when things begin to fall apart.
A Candle to shed some light on the situation.
A Heart to remind you that someone loves you.
A little Angel to guide and protect you.

How sweet is that!  I think that I'll keep this little pouch in the pocket of my handbag so that I can read it and cheer myself up when I'm feeling down.

So now that I'm back to my crafting again and now I'm back to knitting, crocheting and sewing like somebody obsessed.  I finally finished two of my Christmas gifts for my friends.  I will show you one now as I still have to post the other.  I just hope that they will like them!

This is one of my little crochet hook pouches that I made for the crochet expert in our knitting group.  I picked really girlie colours because she is so feminine and I thought that she would like them best.  One thing that I really must learn properly though is how to corners in bias binding.  I always end up sewing them by hand but I'm never happy with the end result. I know its only something small but if I hope eventually to open a shop on Etsy, they will need to be perfect.

Could anybody recommend a good tutorial site that I could look up?

Did you get a thoughtful gift over the Christmas season?

Chat you soon,

Rosie

Going Vintage

Chaos has reigned once more on this little house of mine.  After labouring to clean all of the linen in our hotpress, or airing cupboard to everybody else, after the builders left the house caked in cement dust, my heart sank this weekend to discover that the pipes in the house next door had burst and the water had seeped into our hotpress and destroyed all of the contents once more!  Much screaming and pulling of already thinning hair ensued!
So to cheer myself up a little, I headed off to the local antique fair.  And with my beady little eye I found a beautiful set of dessert plates just begging me to bring them home.  They may not be perfect with their little chips and cracked glaze but I love them more for their little imperfections.  I shows that they were well loved and used plenty.  And they are certainly going to be well used here too.

This is the cake plate.  It may be a little cracked and warn but just look at the beautiful detailing on it.  Who couldn't just fall in love with it!












There are five cake plates in total and the design on each is completely different.








I was also going through some of my material stash because I've started my chrimbo present sewing and I found an old tablecloth that my mother used to use in her house a lot when we were growing up.  Because some naughty little mouse had a nibble one or two corners of it, it was put aside to be made into a bag of some description.  But when I saw it, it brought back a lot of memories and I no longer have the heart to take the scissors to it.  I love it just the way it is.  Perfect!

Well obviously it could do with a bit of an ironing!  But I never did say that I was the queen of the rubber glove and feather duster brigade and I am severely allergic to the iron.  Well that is what I tell the Hubbie anyway!

I also finally managed to finish my purple waistcoat from the pattern by Kyoko Nakayosho.  I really struggled to find a button that I really liked for it.  The only problem that I had with the pattern was that the number of stitches for the arm ribbing was very small and I had to rip them back and pick up extra ones.  Other than that it was a great challenge and now I am quite happy with the final result.

The light wasn't great today so sorry that the pic isn't that good.

Oh and one more thing I forgot to show you the finished mittens.  I really love them.  I knitted them in fine merino and they are so snug and warm.  I'm wearing them all the time.  I decided to cast off the top and thumb a little snug on them so that they don't get all baggy and loose because that is one thing that really drives me batty.  So far it has worked!

Well that was my weekend.  Eventful as ever.  Hope that you had a good weekend too.
Rosie xx