Happy August Bank Holiday Weekend

All I've heard on the radio this morning is that this is the August bank holiday and asking what people are doing...well I'm working! Darren isn't so he'll have to entertain himself in the studio etc. Hope whatever your plans are - or lack of them - that you have a good time!

Oh and on a happy note I've lost another 2 lbs!! Yippee!!! My weight loss is definately slowing down but at least it is all in the right direction!!

Family day out

On Friday it was my dad's birthday, so to celebrate we had a family get together. My younger brother James, his wife Ahn and son Michael (my scrummy 9mth old nephew) came up from London, my grandparents came down from Darlington, my parents from Harrogate and us from Bradford...all met up in York.

This was only the 2nd time we've seen our nephew - he is so big now!!! I loved holding him and he just kept looking at me and smiling and oh it was lovely!!!!

We all met at Varsity for lunch and to have a good natter - we were there about 2hrs. Then we headed off to Barley Hall, where James and Ahn got married 3yrs ago. We then headed to York Minster where they had more wedding pics taken. As this was the 1st time Michael has been to York, they wanted to take pics of them with him at both places.

I do love it when all my family comes home. We may have our strained moments (as I'm sure most families do) and we are not very emotionaly close but we are there when it counts. I do miss my brother too as he and I were very close growing up, supporting each other through my parents many arguments. But when he left for uni, he never came back home to live.

Anyway here's some lovely pics of us - especially Michael!! Darren is missing on all but a pic outside the minster, as he took them. I'm waiting for my dad and brother to send the ones they took of Darren and Michael.

Me and Michael (my brother is in the blue jumper)

Background pic of James and Ahn

My grandparents and Michael

My dad and Michael

Everyone but me as I took this pic

Then at 3.30 we said our goodbyes and everyone had trains to catch. Darren and I had got into York before everyone and stayed later to do a bit of shopping - but unfortunately we were not allowed to keep Michael...

Want a laugh???

Here's a pic of the scarf as seen in previous post.....


....as modelled by Darren!!!!!!!

Yet more granny striped blanket

So it's getting there... but been dare I say it...I've been a bit bored of working on my blankie for the last week or so. I know I'm as shocked as you are - in fact I am disgusted that such stripey goodness and pleasure can have turned so quickly to boredom.

Perhaps it was doing the same thing all the time and I was missing my knitting (which is after all my main passion - sorry crochet!!!) but then I couldn't focus on knitting either, so I did some looming. The only items I really make with my looms are hats and scarfs but it is something I don't need to think about, so I finished an unknown UFO, a scarf in blue eyelash yarn. Then I made another. Then I got some yarn from my stash and started making more scarfs (make 5 in total) .....then I got bored of looming.

So I made 2 tops for charity. One of which was an adapted pattern from Ravelry to make a preemies Baby Surprise Jacket. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baby-surprise-jacket-preemie-sized Many thanks to everyone who helped me find the BSJ pattern!!

It really does look wierd and that it can't possibly be a jacket - all through making it I couldn't figure it out!!!

Then suddenly I could see it!!!!

  Sewn up and with buttons....

The back....

I wasn't really convinced about this when I was laying it out, the sleeves didn't seem to sit right. The front seemed to be bigger than the back. I thought I had maybe done something wrong. But with a bit of slight stretching into place, I think it looks nice and I am rather happy with it!! It was very quick and easy to make and very little to sew up. All the sewing up you have to do it the top of the sleeves/shoulders. Can't wait to do more and make Elizabeth Zimmerman's original BSJ!!! Next time I'd like to make it stripey and see what the effect is....the pics of stripey ones look really nice.

Anyway....The good news, as far as I am concerned is that my blankie is back at my side and I have started enjoying making it again!!! I brought it downstairs after lunch and so far I have completed a lovely deep purple stripe!!!

Just had to blog about it and post my other pics...this way the distractions are behind me for a while so I can re-focus and finish blankie!!

So wanna see what it looked like before my last purple stripe??? Well if you don't close your eyes now!!! Cos here it is!!!

I laid it out on our bed which is a super king size bed....

If you are still reading - thanks alot and well done at looking through so many pics!!!

Our walk along the canal

We decided to have a lovely walk along the canal on Friday, instead of our usual wood walk. The canal is just off the woods and is only a 10 min walk from our house. It is the Leeds/Liverpool canal.

The first thing we noticed before we were on the canal, was this blackberry!! Blackberries in August!!! Now there are LOADS of green ones around here but a ripe one!! It was so bizarre I had to take a picture!!!

Can you make out this bee? They were everywhere!!

This is the path down to the canal. We have to walk down through a field to the bridge then we can walk back along the canal to another bridge and back home.

Lady always has to be first!!

She is so curious!!!

Horses are everywhere round here!!!

These ducks actually came swiming over to see us!! Think they thought we had food - sadly no, just a poo bag!!!

Off again when Lady came to say hi!

Remember that one lonely blackberry we found at the start of our walk??? About half way along the canal there were loads of them!!!!!

I told Darren to give me a clean and empty poo bag and we started to pick blackberries!!! There are loads still to ripen, so we'll be back!!!

I have never known them to be out so early!!!

Plenty to make a crumble!!!!

By the way I made the apple and blackberry crumble yesterday and it was gorgeous!!!!!