Its been 12 days since......

my last post. I didn't realise I hadn't been near my blog for all this time. Don't really have a reason for not posting. Life , I suppose has just got in the way. It's not as if I've been working a crazy work schedule like I sometimes do, so that's not the reason. Yes I've been busy, but not any more than usual. Oh well, I'm here now!

Before I tell you all my news I have several BIG thank yous to say.

First one is to Robin who sent me a surprise package,


and Oh boy was it a great package. There was 2 skeins of Koigu sock yarn, in lovely blue tones. I have been wanting to try this yarn for ages and now I can. There was a china thimble all the way from her Hawks nest spinning weekend to add to my collection of china thimbles and a fridge magnet which says "Even though we are miles apart....I will always feel we are close at heart". I have only known Robin for about a year, but its like we've known each other all our lives, and guess what.......I will finally meet her when she comes across to Scotland (her and DH's ancestral home)next year. I can hardly wait.

The second thank you goes to Kimberly from Knitty.com, who I did a sock swap with.

Here you see the sox she knitted me on 2mm needles from Lorna's Laces in blackberry. The pattern she used was Child's sock from Nancy Bush's "Knitting Vintage Socks". Also in with the sox was a bar of home made soap, post its and note cards. Thank you very much Kimberly, I really love the sox (and the all the other goodies too!)

The third thank you goes to my Secret Pal who sent me this..........

Debbie Stroller's "Happy Hooker". I was just thrilled to receive this book as I had been eyeing it up at my local Borders books, but had never actually got round to buying it. I already have several projects ear marked to do and can't wait to get started with them, but before I do I need to do some FO's first!!!!!!

My last thank you goes to Isabella who brought back some sock wool for me from SKIPnorth.
She brought me back 1 x 100g ball of pink Opal Uni, 1 x 100g ball of purple Opal Uni, 2 x 50g balls Cygnet in pink and 2 x 50g balls Cygnet in purple. She also brought back a ball of red and a ball of green sock yarn which was very kindly sent up from Sue and Nic, 2 of the girls I met at SKIPnorth last year. I have already knitted a pair of kids sox with the red. (pix to follow)

Now for my other news!!!



I now have 2 Cub Scouts in the family. Yup, Robert said his promise a few weeks ago. Here he is posing for the camera along with Ronan. Once again I was busy sewing on all the appropriate badges!!





We have also been busy with the usual rugby on Sundays. Having said that a few of our away games were cancelled due to bad weather, so we just trained instead. Robert managed to get the "Player of the week" trophy 2 weeks running, on the 4th and 11th. Well done Bob. Ronan was also picked to play in a rugby tournament on the 4th, but unfortunately it was cancelled. But well done Ronan for getting picked for the 1st team.

On the knitting front I have finished 3 pairs of sox, but I will post about them later since I don't have pix of them.

Here is my "main" current project.... The Civil War Shawl. I am taking part in this knit-a-long which started on the 1st of March.

This is my second attempt at it, the first one having to be frogged when I lost several stitches when the 2 parts of the Denise needles I was using parted company! I started it again on Wed 21st March, this pic was taken on the 22nd, when I had reached row 45. (The 1st weeks target!)I managed to reach the second weeks target of row 68 by Friday morning and this morning I have managed to reach row 85, so I am now well on schedule and in fact I am a head of schedule, as this weeks target was to reach row 81 by Sunday. Thank goodness for quiet nights at work!!! I am using 100% silk lace weight yarn from Colourmart in Tartan green. I was using 2 sets of 2mm dpns, but thankfully I am now using a circular needle. I was getting fed up with all the dpn's getting stuck in all the holes!

I have today off and really should be in bed sleeping at the moment, but instead I am catching up with my neglected blog! I have a few things to do today......like go to the garage and get 4 new tyres put on the car. The car went through its annual MOT this week and failed, but I knew it would as there was a few minor things needing done, like the breaks needing adjusted and a couple of bulbs needing replaced. I wasn't reckoning on needing 4 new tyres and the catalytic converter needing fixed/replaced. Think it will be beans on toast in the gourdongirl house for the next few nights as this ain't going to be cheap! Oh well I guess the summer is coming and I can put off renewing the central heating boiler for a couple of more months!

All being well I will be at the rugby club this afternoon to watch Musselburgh against Perthshire in their last home league game this season. At the moment we are second in the league and as long as we win this game and the one next week we should get promotion to Division 2. You never know, with a bit of luck we might even win the league and become Division 3 champions. That we won't know till next Saturday after our away game at Ellon.

And finally.................Just a reminder to all those reading this on this side of the "pond", The clocks go froward tonight and tomorrow it will officially be British Summer Time!!!!!!

Edited at 19:05 on Sat 24th to point out that I made an error when I stipulated the size of needles I was using on the shawl. I should have said 2.5mm and NOT 2mm. Thank you Isabella for pointing out my mistake and for lending me the said circular needle. (Which was in deed 2.5mm!!!!)

Also, Musselburgh beat Perthshire by 38 points to 10, so promotion looks good for next season