It's the summer holidays!!

I LOVE the summer holidays! Ok, so outside it is actually cold and wet, and it's almost as if OCTOBER has made an early appearance, but heyho!

I love spending time with all my boys together. It takes a few days (a week....maybe 10 days!) for them to settle down, but it's so great. I miss the eldest when he is at school, it seems like the weeks pass in a whirlwind and I barely see him!

My bathroom is still not finished, but we do have a working (and more importantly....not leaking) shower. The floor is being fitted on friday afternoon, so need to get cracking with the painting.


I am now going to use a swear word. Christmas. Yep. I went there. I am making Christmas gift preparations already. I am going to get my little darlings to make some gorgeous tealight holders for everyone (great-grannies, grandpa's girlfriend, grandma (mooms) and auntie) as they went down really well when they made them for teachers. 

I can't remember where I saw them, whether it was somewhere on t'internet, or on a tv programme or something, but anyway, it involves glass jars (I always save mine when they are finished!), pva glue, and tissue paper.


I have already finished the first gift, for one of the great grannies. A Magrathea shawlette (on Ravelry) in some beautiful yarn from The Knitting Goddess.

Now on with the rest of the Christmas list! It will take me a while.....

Is there an end in sight??

To my bathrooms being finished?? I don't want to get TOO excited, but I think so!! Plumber started the shower yesterday (which ended up needing some floor replacing first....) then it's just a little bit more woodwork. Then painting. Then floor can go down!! I am so fed up of it all, it has been 3 months now. My entire upstairs is just full of stuff. stuff out of the bathroom, stuff from the airing cupboard, paint, tiles, wood! It's chaos, and I wanted it all finished so I could sort the mess before the boys are off school for the summer, but that is NOT going to happen as it would seem to be the last day of term on FRIDAY! EEEK!!!


My latest finish:- Sweet Dreams by BooKnits on Ravelry . Made using a beautiful handspun yarn by a friend of mine (SpinSpunSpins shop on Etsy), and using a lot of beads!

Must remember to do this more often....

...as in once a week or fortnight maybe, not once a month!

The last month has seen me getting increasingly frustrated at the lack of work being done in my bathrooms. I found out that my house is watertight again thanks to a new roof and some serious gutter clearing. Which is good as we have witnessed some serious downpours in the last week or two!

On a lighter note, here are some of my projects from the last month:-

Ribbed Sweater

Fleurette Cardigan

Strawbs Socks

All patterns can be found on Ravelry

It's the weekend

And a long weekend at that!

I am planning on winding some yarn for a KAL with Sarah @ craftsfromthecwtch . I finally finished April's KAL shawl and blocked it this week

I am really pleased with how this one came out, it's HUGE!

The home improvements are ongoing, as per, but hopefully some progress will be made this weekend.

I am hoping to get out and have some fun with the kids and the dogs, and maybe even the husband as he is off work, but we shall see what the weather does!

So it's been a couple of weeks....

...since my last post. I injured my knee falling down the stairs and was full of woe and self pity! Now it's healing nicely and wasn't too badly injured, I am feeling more positive! At heart, I am a lazy person who wants to just sit and knit, but now I know that it's not all it's cracked up to be with 3 small boys, a new puppy, builders and the housework building up!


So. Builders. We found the sources of the three leaks posted about below. The two in the hall were JUST blocked guttering! Unfortunately, the third leak in my en suite was the roof. The roof was shot. So we have had to have a new roof put on. But it looks great! Because of that, we are having the whole en suite redone, new toilet and basin, tiling, painting, etc. Finally! Around 3 years after first buying the house!

We thought....'well we already have to get a plumber in....why not do the main bathroom too?'. So we have had a new bathroom suite fitted, and it's looking great! Still not finished, some boxing in needs to be done, the painting needs to be finished, and we need a new floor fitting, but it won't take long! Pics when it's all done!!



That's about it that has been going on here....oh yeah, apart from my thirdborn son's 2nd birthday last week! Since that day he has said more and more new words each day! He seems so much older, much less a baby and more a toddler. *sigh* my last baby is no longer a baby. My life is flying by. Can I just pause it for a while?

A few of my finished knitting projects:-

The trouble with old houses...

I LOVE old houses. Pretty period cottages, old buildings in general.

Our own house was built in 1719. We moved in nearly 3 years ago, and it was a heck of a mess. We lavished a lot of love and care on it, and it is looking good! We still have a few jobs to do, like the family bathroom and the en suite toilet, plus double-glaze the front windows, but as it is Grade II listed that is both complicated and expensive! And unfortunately, more important jobs keep cropping up....

Like this:-

Yup. That stain is water. The cause is as yet unknown, although gutter issues/roof joining issues are suspected.


And this:-

Again, water. If you touch the stone it is soaked through. That is DEFINITELY the downpipe not catching water properly!

And then in the en suite the water is pouring down the INSIDE of the window. That is badly fitted double glazing.

Good job I love the house!

So I set up a blog....

On the MamaPacks forum, I am affectionately known as the Queen of Gu, due to my *ahem* slight addiction to Gu puddings. So I thought I would use that as my blog title.


I am new to all this, so bear with me!!




This week I am mostly knitting an adult sweater in pure cashmere aran yarn. I am on the last sleeve but heck is it dragging..... I am in procrastinate mode, hence setting up a blog! HA! 


If you are on Ravelry, a super forum for knitters/crocheters, then you can see my sweater project HERE. If not, and you are a knitter/crocheter, then JOIN!!! It has a massive database of patterns, both free and to pay for, and lots of friendly forums.