The second half of February - round-up

It's been nearly three weeks since I last posted here and I've thought several times that I should get around to it, but Things happened and, well, here I am, at the beginning of March, with the sun trying to shine.

I seem to have had back-to-back colds over the last six weeks and to try and be delicate about it, my nose doesn't seem to have been very far from a tissue for very long.

However, I do have some photos to show.

I have this one:

I've finished the first of the socks I've been knitting using some handspun yarn that didn't come out quite as I'd expected.  I've also started the second one; started it twice because I realised when I'd nearly finished the toe that I'd done it differently to the first sock so I ripped it out and started again.

I've knitted a bit more of my stripey scarf (it had got put to one side while I was making the alpaca hat and cowl).  I'm currently knitting green stripes and think I might go with hot pink for my next colour:

I've finished spinning 200g of red yarn which is destined to become a Breckon cardigan:

(lilac yarn's in there because my camera has trouble with things that are just red).

I'll be spinning 600g of this yarn in total.  I've another 100g spun into a single and resting before it's plyed and am two-thirds through a fourth bobbin, so progress is being made.

I'm cross with these socks which I started as a project to keep upstairs for nights when either I or DD2 can't sleep:

The foot's fine and the yarn's knitting up into a nicely patterned effect.  Yesterday I worked on these at knitting group and was halfway up the heel flap when it was time to leave so thought I'd knit on them some more yesterday evening while I was watching television.  I'd done a few rounds on the leg when I came across a knot.  I made my feelings on knots in self-patterning yarn known in this post!

I undid the knot and pulled out some yarn until I'd got to what I thought was the right place (it was more or less the middle of a grey stripe).  Carried on knitting and then, this happened:

Can you see?  The grey was followed by black.  Now, I don't expect my socks to have perfect striping all the way up because stitches are increased for the gusset, which is obviously going to affect the yarn's patterning (that's why there's that thin purply pink stripe), but to have the yarn do something completely different?  No thanks.  The grey should be followed by a round or so of the dotty effect, then go into the purply pink.  The socks are now in the naughty corner until tomorrow when I'll decide how best to sort this out, but sort it out I need to do.  I don't match stripes on hand-knitted socks, so I'm not overly pedantic about it, but this just looks Wrong.

I've also started a new sweater.  Progress is slow:

I cast this on about ten days ago!  2.5mm needles.  280 stitches per round.  27 rounds of k1, p1 rib to do.  I think this one might be a slow burner.  It's not all black, but I'll show you the other yarns I'll be using in my next post as I've rattled on enough.

In the meantime, I've got DD2 to keep entertained for the rest of today and probably tomorrow as well.  She was unwell on Saturday and I was up most of the night with her as she had a high temperature and was sick a few times.  She actually slept on the sofa for a couple of hours on Saturday morning and a couple of hours on Saturday afternoon and - hardly touched her dinner and didn't ask for dessert (that's a sure sign that she's poorly).  She seemed find on Sunday and yesterday daytime and evening, but was up again last night being ill.  She's also lost her appetite, so finding food that she'll eat is a bit challenging at the moment.  She's refusing to settle down and try to have a nap today though, which means I'm also very tired, so apart from doing several loads of laundry (the result of last night's 'activities') I'm ignoring the housework other than the essentials.

At least the sun's decided to come out.  I might see if I can get DD2 to come out with me to walk Jess in a little while, even if it's just for ten or 15 minutes.