Last Finished Object of the Year

I wanted to blog about the cowl I finished before the end of the year.  I started it ages ago and had been taking it with me everywhere so I always had something to knit.  The pattern is 'Simple Ribbed Cowl'.

It was knit on circular needles and was the first project I had knitted this way.  Knitting on circular needles is not as difficult as I thought it would be and it was good fun seeing people's reactions to it (mostly confusion but one friendly lady started chatting to me about it while we were waiting for a train together).

Here is the finished cowl:

I loved the colour of this wool as soon as I saw it and the tweedy colours add to the texture of the final cowl.

Here is a close-up of the textures:

I've already started a project I was saving for 2013 as I got too excited when I found some lovely wool in the sale in John Lewis and couldn't wait.  It is a shawl called 'Trillian' named after a character in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and is the first pattern I've bought directly from Ravelry.  It's also my first project on 4-ply yarn.

It is knitting up quite quickly although I know I have a long way to go.  Hopefully 2013 will bring a lot of fun new projects.

Did you have a lovely Christmas?

I did!  Christmas seemed to come around so quickly that we didn't feel quite prepared.  On Christmas Eve, we had our family roast dinner which Eve and I helped Mum to cook.  We don’t normally do a roast as is more time-consuming so it was fun to have a change.  On Christmas, we got up early to open our presents and later went to visit family.

It has been good to see our relatives over the last few days and catch up together.  I got many lovely presents – CDs, DVDs, pretty things.  I got a sewing pattern for a skirt to replace the one that broke so I can’t wait to get sewing that now.

In the days leading up to Christmas, the number of tiny gnomes in my house seemed to increase.  I mentioned in my last post that the gnome was hoping for a Christmas party and it seems like he managed to throw the party after all.  

Where did all of the gnomes come from?

Now that Christmas is out of the way I have to get back to revision  for my January exams so will not be able to do as much crafting - roll on January 18th when they are over!

#reverb12 catch-up - Days 7-21

I'm not going to write answers to all of the #reverb12 prompts but I will answer half of the ones I missed (mostly odd numbers because they are my favourite).

Day 7: What will you take with you?
I will be taking into 2013 the drive to work - one final push as I go into my last semester at uni.  I've spent so much time over the last months filling in job applications so now I want to do the best I can at uni and be able to have my effort rewarded.

Day 9: Your favourite book?
This year I discovered the 'Vampire Chronicles' series and read 'Interview with a Vampire'.  I have been a big fan of vampires since I was young and was delighted to find a series of books that wasn't brought on by the recent vampire craze.  I quickly moved on to the second book and now have the whole series on my Kobo.

Day 11: What was music to your ears?
I have had a lot of good news this year.  The first one that came to mind was that I was thrilled when Eve got accepted into Cambridge and even more so when she got there and settled in quickly.  I was also happy when I found that The Boy and I would be graduating together next summer and when my Bestie got his house offer accepted.

Day 13: Your favourite photo of you?
My favourite photo of me taken this year is probably from The Boy's step-brother's wedding I went to in April.  My hair and make-up had been professionally done and I loved having curly hair - it was a shame I couldn't keep it curly.

I also love this picture of me in the doorway of my house on the day we moved in.  We definitely need the extra space the house has over last year's flat.

Day 15: What tingled your taste-buds?
This year I have been doing more baking and trying to be a more adventurous cook.  I have loved trying different foods with The Boy - both what we have cooked and what we have eaten out together.

Day 16: Who inspired you?
My crafting has been inspired by so many wonderful bloggers this year.  Also by the fun that is Pinterest which gives me generous helpings of craftiness all the time.  I have made a few things I've found on Pinterest and I want to make many more.

Day 19: How did you nourish your self?
I have kept myself nourished by drinking copious amounts of tea and kept myself sane by crafting.  Yarn is an easy way to escape from the stresses of uni work.

Day 21: What's on the dream list?
I don't know what to wish for in 2013 as it will be a year with lots of big changes.  One dream that came true in 2012 was to visit Venice.  It was everything I hoped it would be and I'm so thankful to The Boy for taking me there.

Some Mochimochi Land Fun

I got 2 Mochimochi Land books for my birthday and have been trying to find time to make more projects from them.  This weekend as my coursework is  now out of the way I finally had a chance to make some adorable little knitted toys.

I decided that as it is so close to Christmas that I just had to make this Christmas tree.

It was so quick to knit that I immediately had to make another project so I went for one of the most famous patterns from Mochimochi Land - the tiny gnome pattern.

It is a great little pattern and I think I'll be making more soon - maybe so this little gnome can have a party with some friends for Christmas (depends how busy I am in the next week).  Here is the gnome getting ready for Christmas:

I love these patterns!  They are so cute and so simple at the same time.

#reverb12 Day 5 and 6

Before I start I just want to say that my project presentation went well and I didn't get asked anything I couldn't answer which is good.  My interview was competence-based which was weird as I am not used to telling long stories.  I think I managed to sell myself well but I won't find out for a while whether I was successful or not.

OK on with #reverb12.  I am enjoying having to think about different things than I would normally blog about.

#reverb12 Day 5: What was your dream destination?

That is an easy one for me - it has to be Venice, where The Boy and I spent New Year.  I had been wanting to visit Venice for years so when he arranged it as a birthday present for me I was thrilled.  Venice is so beautiful - everything I hoped it would be!

#reverb12 Day 6: What did you learn?

Hmm, this is a bit more difficult - how do you describe everything you have learnt in a year.
Off the top of my head, I've learnt :

• to use a sewing machine.
• to bake bread (not with yeast yet though).
• that my friends never get bored of eating my pies.
• that knitting isn't as hard as I thought it was.
• how important friends and family are when you lose a relative.
• that job applications are boring and take forever to fill in but will hopefully be worth it.
• that making blankets takes a lot of time and effort.

Not as hard as I thought it would be.  I'm sure there was lots more I have learnt but I can't remember anything else now.

#reverb12 Days 3 and 4

I have struggled to think of things to write for days 3 and 4.  I'm not sure what to wish for in a year's time.  Hopefully I will graduate well, I wish that I'll have a good graduate job which I enjoy, and I hope I won't be too far from The Boy.  Neither of us know where we'll be based after graduation which will be weird after 2 years of living together.

Day 4's suggestion is to think about how we are celebrating ourselves this month.  Tomorrow is an important day for us at uni as we have to give an oral presentation about our project work so far and what we plan to do next semester.  It is only worth 10% of the overall project but it is the part most people are nervous about.  I've made The Boy a little 4 leaf clover to put in his advent calendar for the morning as he is nervous too.

Another fun thing I have tomorrow is my first real job interview.  It is just a phone interview so luckily I have plenty of time for it after my presentation. It should go fine though as I have prepared well for it but it is a bit nerve-wracking.

We'll be celebrating tomorrow night with a nice meal out which will be lovely after an intense day.

#reverb12 Day 2: Your most significant spend?

Today's hint for a post is to think of what the most significant thing we have bought in 2012 is, in terms of impact.  I can't remember half of the things I have bought this year (probably means they aren't as significant) but two instantly came to mind.

The first one was actually a birthday present from The Boy but it has helped me with my crafting as well as uni work.  My lovely Kobo eBook reader:

The second one is one that I haven't mentioned before but has helped a lot recently and has given me lots of crafty inspiration.  I had been thinking about buying one for aaages but a note in one of my birthday cards told me to treat myself to something I really wanted so I decided to spend it on - a pretty purple sewing machine.  The woman in John Lewis didn't think it would be very good which made me worry a bit, but since I got it, it has been much better than she said it would be.

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So far I have only used it for repairs and for changing mine and The Boy's Halloween costumes to make them more wearable (he wanted pocket holes making and mine was 5 sizes too big - but as the only one left in ASDA the night before Halloween I didn't have much choice).  Since buying the sewing machine I have had so many crafty ideas come to me so I just need to find time to make them all now!

#reverb12 Day 1 - ok just a bit late

This month I'm doing #reverb12 hosted by Kat from 'I Saw You Dancing'.  I managed to miss the first day as I forgot all about it until this morning but I'm posting now to catch up.

Today's post is all about how we are starting the month and how we feel.  I'm starting December under a mountain of uni work.  I'm just looking forward to the coursework deadlines to be out of the way so I can have a bit of time to relax over Christmas before starting revision for the January exams.

I also can't wait to get the workmen out of my house so we can get back to normal.  Also so I can put my Christmas tree up and start to feel really festive!

Mostly, I'm excited about Christmas coming up, tired of work, and looking forward to a break.

It's December again!!!

I have been looking forward to the start of December for ages now but unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to put up my decorations until Monday due to a combination of tonnes of uni work, looking after The Boy's little brother, and repair work going on at our house.

I guess it is a good thing in a way, as I haven't finished the crochet stocking advent calendar yet so at least I am not just missing the one decoration.

I'm more than half way and I'm attaching each one as I make it so it won't take much longer to complete.

It has got cold so quickly - I need to dig out my warm clothes so I don't freeze on my way to uni next week!