Bootie parade

I thought it was time to have a bit of a knitting update:

The Konfekt 18703 has been making good and steady progress and now has two sleeves - so I just need to pick up stitches around the top edge and knit the neck and then it can join the ferdig list. I'll be pleased to have one largish project behind me - means I can move onto another one!

The first of my Mum's socks is done, and I've cast on the 2nd one. I realised as I was starting the pattern on the 2nd sock, that I've actually not followed the beaded rib pattern correctly from the sensational knitting socks book - so not only have I not knit these sock toe up as in the book, but I apparently haven't followed the stitch pattern either - whoops. I guess as long as both socks match each other it doesn't really matter. I think I might start at the beginning of this book and try to knit a pair of socks from each section - but first I'd like to knit some hats.

I've also been knitting and finishing off baby booties. This first pair is the small pair I was knitting just before we moved. I decided that, even though I thought they were too small it would be worth adding buttons and sending them to one of my friends that's just had a baby - just in case I'm wrong. So these went to Sophie:
Along with a bigger pair in the same wool:

I also knit a little blue pair for Anna's baby boy, Henrik. These came out a lot better looking than my blurry photo lets on. They were in the post before I realised I'd taken a rubbish photo.
I've had a request for some bee booties to match Dad to be Rob's bee socks - and if I have time I might try to knit Mum to be Rach some bee socks too - so the whole family will match. Their little one isn't due till mid-January, so I have a bit of time.

Helsinki one week on...

Well, as I said last Thursday we've made it to Helsinki safe and sound, our stuff (which seems to be getting more and more with each move despite the efforts to not let it grow) arrived the day after us, which is good - as now a week on we're pretty much packed and able to live. The house is better than I'd remember when we'd seen it back in August. It feels very grown up, I can't explain what it is about the house that makes it feel grown up, maybe it's that it's new, or that it has a working dishwasher (that isn't from the 60s), or that it has a walk in wardrobe (or should I be pretentious and call it a dressing room?), or that it has two bathrooms - I don't know, but it feels grown up. It's nice and warm, so despite the fact that the temperature is going to plummet we have underfloor heating and a very efficient fire, and lets not forget the sauna, to keep us warm.

David seems pleased with the kitchen and has already started restocking the freezer!

We've been given a date of next Monday (Nov 19th) for the internet to be turned on - ahead of the expectations we'd been given, which is good - and hopefully in time for a work meeting I have scheduled. In the meantime I'm hanging out in our local library, which is part of a culture centre in our local area - from what I can tell it is very well used and looked after.

While we've been in the midst of moving two friends have had babies - Sophie has had a baby girl, Beartrice on Oct 31st and Anna has had a baby boy, Henrik on November 2nd. So, I'm back to knitting booties, the booties I was knitting for Anna's baby turned out too small so I'm starting again with those ones, and now that I know she's had a boy, maybe they won't be pale yellow.

bootie turnovers

The booties I've been knitting from the Saartje's bootees pattern are finished apart from buttons - the buttons will have to wait till we're reunited with our furniture and stuff next week once we get to Helsinki... I enjoyed knitting these, they're quick and easy and quite cute. I think they're probably a bit small - a scant 3" in length. I have no idea if Anna's baby's going to be big or small, so once I'm reunited with my needles I'll probably knit another pair on bigger needles.

As part of the move one of the things we've had to do is empty out the freezer and fridge - David and I like to keep a pretty well stocked freezer, mostly with home made stocks, leftovers, extra portions of things we've made etc (we don't tend to do frozen pizza or ready meals). As the move is now T minus 3 evening meals and one of those is going to be spent in a curry house here in Trondheim with friends, we're pretty much scraping the last edibles out of the freezer - one ingredient that did have us a bit stumped was a couple of sheets of frozen puff pastry. But genius that I am (and modest) for desert tonight we're going to have turnovers. They're stuffed with an apple (bought), apricots (so few of them left we decided they weren't going to join us on our travels) and some chocolate flaky bits that we got with some ice cream and have been sitting in the fridge ever since. I had to use a beer bottle instead of a rolling pin, and didn't have any flour, so it was a potential sticky mess.
So fingers crossed they bake up alright. We have a half finished can of condensed milk sitting in the fridge that needs finishing as well, so I'm sure that will help! Although we may not be able to sleep this evening for all the sugar.

Squirrel

I was sat here yesterday (waiting for my boss to call) watching a red squirrel out of the window leaping about a tree. He was fun to watch - very agile jumping about all the branches with apparently no fear of falling. It's nice to see red squirrels here as in the UK the red squirrels have most often been squeezed out by the non-native bully grey squirrels. I wish I had a fancy camera with a zoom lens etc as he was hanging upside down from a branch at one point and it would have been good to have been able to take some proper squirrel antics shots. Instead I've ended up with this photo He's in the centre of the photo heading right, you can just see his tail straight out behind him parallel to the branch he's running along.

In case you can't see him, here he is zoomed in. Unfortunately you can't see his nice red colour, or his white underside.My boss never called so I decided to cast on another pair of baby booties as another of my friends, Anna, is just about due. They don't know the sex of the baby, so I've used a pale yellow fluffy wool I was given by my future mother-in-law when she was clearing out some stuff.
I'm using a pattern available free on the web by Saartje de Bruijn. It's a pretty easy pattern with some simple, but very effective shaping and from the pictures I've seen of finished ones looks pretty cute. I hope it fits a baby foot - I didn't make any attempt at checking my gauge as I have a limited amount of unpacked needles (one set) and a limited amount of wool available (one type).