Things I should be working on and things I get distracted by

So, I'll be good and start with the project that I'm meant to be working on, and I've been good, this is my second time this week working on it, and I've done four whole rounds this evening (a miracle by my standards, I had to stop when I realised I was clenching my jaw as I concentrated, patterns are not my forte - I like blankets!). Anyway, this is a child/baby hat that will one day look like a sheep, and looks more like a sheep than it has done up until this point, so I'll take that as a win. And it's currently being modelled by my knee, because I looked round my house and realised I had nothing the size and shape of a childs head (which sounds a lot creepier when I actually run that sentence through), the closest thing, rather disturbingly, was my own know. It's like the weirdest version of the hotdog legs game that you'll ever play! 

Secondly is what I'm getting distracted by, I've been trying to find something that works with this neon yarn, and I think I've finally found something that seems to look right. I can (almost) justify the fact that I got distracted last week, we went away last week and granny squares are much more portable (and take a lot less concentration) than the sheep hat. Also, as we were flying it meant that if they took my hook off my for the squares, I have three in that size and it wouldn't be an issue, if they'd taken my hook off me for my hat it's the only one I have and I'd have been lost. This is also the first time that I've attempted to get a hook onto a flight (albeit only a domestic one), I was told it was fine as long as it was in a secure case. I've yet to meet someone with a 'secure' case for their hooks, so I took everything else out of my hook roll and took that with one lonely hook in, I think even that was a wasted effort, airport security seemed more interested in my deodorant than my hook.

Just a wee bit this week

Just a quick update, firstly I think I've finally found a pattern that I like the variagated yarn in. I've was contemplating doing it as one big continuous square, but I think that lots of little squares will work better, especially if I use black for my joining. Plus it means I can make the blanket the shape I want rather than it having to be square. I've never actually tried a solid granny square before, and I have to say I like it a lot more than I expected, and it turns out it works really well with this yarn. Although I admit that this was my second attempt, I had to play a little but with the corners as I was starting to get a bit of a ripple in my square.

Also, I've done another couple of rounds on the sheep hat, which seeing as it needs to be finished by next weekend means I'm probably doomed, but it's grown, so I'll take that as a win. Other than these I've not really had much time this week, so a bit of crochet is all I have to show, the joy of the run up to Christmas.

This and that

I've done a bit of everything this week, which means I have lots of little bits of progress to show, rather than one impressive 'look what I did'. Also my secret project is taking up quite a bit of time at the moment and I can't really show that off until it's done and gifted.

Firstly my Harmony blanket continues, second set of colours added to my second set of squares, slow and steady and all that. 

Secondly, I suddenly realised that one of our friends is due to have a small person soon, and as such I needed to decide what I was going to make for this, and this is what I've decided on, a small cream circle! I hasten to add that this is in no way finished. I've used this as an excuse to pull out a book that I've had for well over a year and have been looking for an excuse to use, and as I'm loving this one thus far I'm sure I'l be finding many other excuses in the future. The book is Crocheted Animal Hats, and it's great

And finally, while I'm not getting much time on my stitching at the moment I am loving what little time I am getting, especially as this is a page with quite a lot going on, you can definitely see the dragons tail taking shape, and there's a tiny patch of motorbike done as well now. It's slow, but it's happening.

And finally finally, I think I mentioned last week that I was going to Yarndale, well, I can't resist showing off my stash enhancement, I had a fabulous weekend!

In this picture, yarny goodness. The three solid colours are the softest yarn I have ever felt, it's  amazing, and I intend to make a blanket out of them (along with many more skeins). The pack of six I intend to have a go at this dragon scale gloves that are going round, and the big one it to take a show at a virus shawl to go round my shoulders for the wedding. Wish me lock on all of those.

In this picture are sillies, car stickers (stops suddenly for yarn shops and no yarn in kept in this vehicle over night), a mammoth pattern and yarn (how cute is the mammoth), a big wodge of batting for spinning and some stitch markers. I did manage to resist a spinning wheel, but I got batting knowing that I'll give in one day, I'm going to book onto a class somewhere to give it a go first, and then I'll buy one :-) 

And here's the 'practical' stuff. Two books of patterns, the blanket book is amazing, and so colourful, Edward's Menagerie is always ridiculously cute, I really didn't mean to buy this, but they were a lot cuter than I expected, and the girl offered me a deal on this and the stuff for the mammoth pattern.

There's a hook keeper, it hasn't come out very well on the picture, but the fabric is brilliant, those balls of wool are all actually sheep.

Oh, and a home dying kit, I'm a little ambitions about that. And a sill card that I bought for my other half promising him a pair of socks, one at a time, I gave him the first one last Christmas.

And now I'll finish with some other pictures from the weekend.