If you've got one of these....

If you've got one of these....






then you need one of these....



and then this doesn't matter



Finished Socks



In order from left to right the socks are Fyberspates self striping - Summer Meadow, The Knittery's Merino Slim sock bought from Socktopus at I-knit day 2008, Dye Studio's Darling Sock yarn, Socks that Rock Medium weight and last Vancalcar Acres Jennifers Bamboo Ewe sock yarn, colour Sandstone from Socktopus, pattern "Bavarian Cable Socks" from Wendy Johnson's book Socks from the Toe up with a few more pictures


I think I'm beginning to see a trend towards plain yarns with superimposed stitch patterns, not exclusively but I think it's starting.

Back

Although "back" seems a strange thing to say when I don't think I ever said I was away. But we went to France on 24th or so of March and came back last Thursday, so we had three weeks away from the stresses of home....But I really missed dd3 and her three little ones, after all they've been living with us now for seven months - long enough for the two youngest children to not remember living anywhere else and anyway the stresses of home seem to follow. Rachel's maternity leave finished this week and worryingly her childcare provisions fell through at the last minute so guess who's looking after the two youngest three days a week? Yes. Those are the days when the eldest goes to nursery so I'll "just" have the younger ones to look after.

My first day will be tomorrow and I'm finding the prospect quite daunting. How on earth did I used to manage it when mine were all little?? Hmm, yes, well I was thirtyish years younger. And I'm not at all sure how I'll cope in an emergency now.

Back to the holiday....I took lots of sock wool with me - and although one or two are started I brought most of it back unknitted.

I did manage to complete "Skinny Empire" from Wendy Bernard's Custom Knits. This is such a great book - I can't wait to knit some more from it. You'll see I've made mine with longer sleeves - and they would have been even longer but that's where the wool ended. I used 8 balls of RYC luxury Cotton DK, shade 254 on knit pick options 3.75mmand KSH for the neck. I did mainly size 2 but any changes - well I can't decipher my pattern notes.






DD2, her husband and three children came to spend the middle week with us - this is the youngest



Isn't he a cutie? I think he must be 6 months old now.


My most exciting knit of the holiday was a test knit for Laura. In the Summer Shade. I couldn't block it until I came home so pics and the details soon.

In that excitement I nearly forgot the one little bit of holiday nature.

What do you think this is?



I haven't shown you this before have I?

Here's another



Now you know don't you?



They are processional caterpillars and travel in this convoy to look like a snake and so not be preyed on by birds. Unfortunately the track they are on is used by lots of tractors and they don't last long. I don't think the French ones are as unpleasant as these Spanish ones here



but they live in cocoons at the top of pine trees and we always see them on the track at Easter time.
From further "research" it seems they are just as bad.

Newest addition

I can't believe I haven't shown you a photo of my newest grandson, Alex, born 5th December weighing 9lbs 12oz.




Isn't he gorgeous?

Newest arrival

Let me introduce Freddie my youngest grandchild, my eighth! He was born on 18 October and weighed 7 lbs15 0z.



Isn't he gorgeous!








And here is his youngest cousin - Fearne now4 months old.



wearing Kalamazoo rib wrap booties - and they really do stay on!

And one more pair of almost instant booties

For my newborn great niece.

There are so many of us now I daren't count!
I can't believe Freddie is four weeks old!! It's funny isn't it - the more time that passes since the last blog post, the harder it becomes to know what to say.

Last post was easy...I had lots of FOs all waiting for finishing and photoing and it was *only* my three little grandchildren who are still in residence with us.

Back then perhaps I would have talked about the worries of dd2's pregnancy and obstetric cholestasis and her subsequent induction at 37weeks. And thank goodness everything went well. Then I would have talked about the worries of alpha-1 anti-trypsin deficiency that Freddie's oldest brother has and was suspected when he - Freddie was still jaundiced at 12 days.
But then my right eye began to have the same problems my left eye had had in November 07 and that had ended with two retinal reattachments - hard not to look on the black side, especially as I had plenty of time to think while having to keep my eye still and no computer and no knitting until I could see the consultant. Four weeks later it seems about the best outcome I could have hoped for. There were three little retinal holes that needed two separate sessions of laser repair and last week I was told they were all nicely sealed. So fingers crossed that that has sorted my right eye out.

So that was last week and all the worries of the previous four weeks are beginning to fade into irrelevancy and just the good things are remaining. And I'm almost feeling back to normal.

Thank goodness.

I'm still full of promises for future photos of FOs, it should be soon as they're blocking right now! But I do have one I could show you...

Gd1's wearing f.pea's " cowgirl butterfly astronaut vest" .

New Food?

Well, it was new to me! And I've reached the age where I don't expect any food surprises!



When we went out to lunch last week to Cafe de laPaix we were sure that it would be good and when Ludovic said that the boeuf bourguignon was excellent I didn't doubt him. We've had it before...who hasn't? ...but I know that beef, however good, can often be - well- stringy however long and carefully it's cooked. In fact it depends on starting with the right ingredients.

OK. I knew it would be tasty but I was prepared for it possibly to be stringy. How wrong I was!! It was quite superb. So much so that I *had* to ask what cut of beef he'd used. It had that same gelatinousness and melt-in-the-mouth-ness of good shin. But more so. And even shin can sometimes be on the stringy side.

I didn't expect it to be a cut of beef that I'd never seen in a butcher's shop nor to have never seen a recipe using it in any of my many cookery books (you'll know I've got a lot when I say cookery was my hobby before knitting!). So what was it??

Cheek. Beef cheek.

It doesn't sound great in English but "joue de boeuf" sounds much better. And I was very pleased to find the local butcher sells it - not even to order. He says he always has it. But it wasn't on the counter, I had to ask for it. Michael is always happy to shop for meat.



So that was our supper last night and it was just as tender as Ludovic's , tasty and most definitely not stringy and I shall be searching for it at my local home butcher. So fingers crossed because that is the meat for beef casserole and stews for me!


I've found that I can get it easily at home.

And look what a lovely homecoming we had!



And I'm really busy test-knitting Hazel's rectangular version of her gorgeous Estonian Lace Christening Shawl.

La Fete

I can't believe we've been here for ten days now.

We spent the first six days preparing for the neighborhood Quatorze Juillet celebration held this year at our house last Saturday. And the next four days recovering from it! It's an all day event involving two lots of barbecuing, boule tournaments and plenty of French wine consuming!

The host has the responsibility for the main course, with everyone else bringing a plate of something. The usual main course is sausage and of course we had plenty of those but to add a slight variation from tradition and to add our own touch we'd brought some haggis with us. I served this not in the traditional Scottish way because it was far too hot but piled onto flat mushrooms, drizzled with olive oil and cooked in the oven for 20 mins or so until the mushrooms were done.

We hadn't been sure if we were trying to provide sun or rain protection so this was the start of our preparations
(Man's work) and

(Surely these instructions can't be right....)

Followed by the high light of the event for the children

The table tops, trestles and benches had to be collected from the different houses and the children really loved this part!

In progress




The weather couldn't have been better.


We've managed to get the French broadband up and running on our laptops making internet life so much easier. It's only a slow broadband because we're some distance from the exchange but what a difference from dial-up!!!

I've only managed to fit in a little bit of knitting - started socks, started a test knit for Laura more of this next time. I've finished the Marie Grace "Alpaca Baby Shawl" for my newest grandaughter.




I used Sublime DK Csshmere/merino/silk. 4mm needles. It's lovely and soft and I love the pattern - knitting round and round on circular needles to make a square shawl is very appealing.

Meet Harrison

Let me introduce my new grandson, born 4th June weighing 9lb 1 1/2oz.

Isn't he gorgeous?

And here he is with a very attentive big brother.

He's going to be called Harry.

ECF - Hello Baby George

Here is my newest grandson born on Tuesday at 3.30 in the afternoon, weighing 7lbs 15oz. He is 3 hours old in the photo.



And here is all the family.



Posting will be very minimal for the next fortnight while we're on holiday in France because first it's dial-up and second it's my laptop which keeps randomly switching itself off and it makes me jump - and I lose everything I've just typed. But I couldn't not introduce George!

Wishing you all a Very Happy Easter!