I found this lovely pattern on Nandina’s blog “Ambient Inclinations” through Ravelry. I decided to make it to include in my blanket project, so used my colour scheme of pinks/purples. My square ended up about 7″, although I have been making squares that are about 6″, this design really caught my eye! Maybe I will give it a granny border and use it as a 12″ square in my blanket?
xWPx
Last week I finished a poncho that I have been knitting! I found a fairly simple pattern that I liked on Ravelry (I love to browse the patterns on there). I already had some yarn that I wanted to use, so I had to alter the pattern slightly so that it would end up about the right size – I just added a few extra repeats of the pattern. This is the biggest project I have ever completed so I am pretty pleased with myself, especially as I had to knit 2 rectangles exactly the same. I have several one-of-a-pair socks, gloves and hand warmers that are waiting for the second one to be knit. Maybe one day they will get finished!
However, with the poncho Mr. P put his foot down and said I wasn’t allowed to start anything new until I had finished it. He is also a victim of an unfinished pair of socks, which I am still working on. I have to admit that I do have a renewed interest in finishing these works-in-progress now after feeling so happy with the poncho. It feels good to finish something! Here it is:
I wanted a poncho so that I have something to wear on those days where you spend the afternoon outside in the sun, and then it cools down in the evening. I couldn’t find anything I liked in the shops, so I decided to see if there were any (simple) knitting patterns I could use to make my own. The only problem being that since I have completed it, I have not had a chance to wear it as the temperature has been around 28°C all day and still very warm in the evening! I am sure that this ‘heatwave’ is not going to last all summer though, so the poncho’s time will come!
I am making the most of the lovely sunshine though – me and Mr. P spent the day on the beach (and swimming in the sea!) yesterday at Barry Island. It was such a great day, the first time I have spent the day on a hot beach for ages, and perhaps the first time ever I have not got sunburnt!
xWPx
P.S. Here is the link to my Ravelry project page, where you can also see the original pattern (Arrowhead Poncho by Pat Walker).
I have made some more squares (just about) the same size as all the others so progress is being made! I have also blocked these ones using the steam from the iron, which I have never tried before, and I am really pleased with the results!
This week I am away visiting and staying with my parents. Mr. Penguin has been away working and whilst I am still looking for a job I thought I would use the opportunity to go up and see them. I really enjoy visiting! Lots of wonderful childhood memories that leave me feeling nostalgic and sometimes wishing I still lived in this lovely part of the world, a small coastal town.
Of course I had to get through the conversations about “how the job hunt is going”. The real answer being I am totally fed up with it, feel disheartened and at a loss of what else to try. But when people ask, that’s not really what they want to hear, so my answer is usually “Oh, I’m still looking, but not a lot comes up!”, all with a smile on my face, indicating that I’m still hopeful.
The good part of the trip back home is that I get to see my beautiful 13-year-old cat, who always recognises me and doesn’t seem to mind that I leave for months at a time between visits! And there are 2 dogs, who I get to walk every day. I would love to have a dog, and so would Mr. P, but we would want to get our own place sorted out first, so it may not happen for a while.
This time away has also given me the chance to sort out Mr. P’s birthday presents! Usually there is something specific that he wants/needs, but this year he has not mentioned anything so it will be a surprise for him (although he is a pretty good present-guesser!).
My mum only works for the morning on Fridays, so we are planning to go out for lunch together. I have found that the older I get, the more I get on with my mum. This is a good thing, as we used to argue a lot when I was growing up – we have very similar personalities which did not always agree with each other! So I am glad our relationship has settled down a lot now.
Until next time xWPx
I have been knitting on and off for the past few years, but I had never tried crochet before until this week! I am not a speedy knitter and tend to stick to small projects otherwise I would never finish anything. At the moment I am (almost) halfway through knitting a poncho, which is probably the biggest thing I have ever attempted to knit.
My mum has these multi-coloured blankets made from lots of smaller knitted squares, which I think both of my grandmothers contributed to. When I first started knitting, the first (and only) thing I could do was knit similar squares and I decided to try and get enough to make my own blanket. I have quite a few now, but nowhere near enough to be considered blanket-worthy! So it is an ongoing project.
Yesterday I managed to crochet not one but two squares the same size as the knitted ones (so that they can be combined together perhaps). I used the standard ‘granny square’ pattern. I am quite pleased with how they have come out, obviously the ends still need tidying up, but most of all I am pleased with how quick they were to complete! And here’s hoping that one day I might finally have enough squares to finish that blanket!
xWPx
I have decided to start a blog after regularly reading some others and realising that it would be a good way to record my projects, feelings and random thoughts. You know, like most blogs do!
Anyway, whilst this blog is primarily for myself, please feel free to read/follow/comment. I know that I have enjoyed reading other blogs, which at some point (when I figure out how) I will add links to.
So far 2013 has been a bit of a disaster. I started a PGCE teacher training course in September 2012, unfortunately things didn’t work out for me and after much stress and upset I left in February this year. I had completed 6 months of the course, but all I had learned was that I didn’t have the necessary drive to be a secondary school teacher. I have a huge amount of respect for those who do though. For me, giving up every evening and weekend to plan lessons was just too much. Maybe once you are an established teacher (i.e. you don’t have to create a new plan for each and every lesson – you have something from the previous year to refer to) it would get easier, but I couldn’t imagine ever getting to that stage! Since then, I have been unable to find employment, despite putting a lot of effort into applying for jobs and going to (rare) interviews. It is so disheartening, and sometimes I feel completely useless. I am, however, lucky to have plenty of love and support from my family. If I didn’t I know I would be in a far worse situation. So the search continues…
So there it is, a bit of recent history as a short introduction – rather more negative sounding than I had hoped – and the reasons why I have time to start a blog! Until next time xWPx
Welsh Penguin 