Progress

has been made in several areas.
Firstly the weekend away was great. Cute neighbour guy and I had a lovely time and grew closer as a couple. He wore the vest I knitted all weekend which was so sweet of him. It's going so well that I am yet again working on his jumper. I've finished the front and the back and have now started on the sleeves. Just as well as the weather has begun to grow colder and it wont be long before it will be needed. He is getting impatient for it as well, and loves telling people that I'm making something for him.
I also responded to a cry for help from a friend who had attempted a scarf only for it to turn into a monster blanket, wrap affair. The only option was to frog and start again. Trouble was there was a deadline. Only three days to get it finished. Yikes!

It was black and a scrumptious blend of possum and merino. My friend had bought 8 X50g balls each covering 120 metres. She'd cast on 120 stitches. I cast on 35 stitches and just knitted every row until I'd used three of the eight balls. It looked long enough. Deadline met. Just.

Better go and do some more knitting I think I might just be on another deadline. One that it gives me great pleasure to be on.

Milestone

I am so excited. Cute neighbour guy and I are heading away for a weekend together without children! It's going to be so good to be alone with him at last. Of course it's taken the kind of organisation that would make organising a world conference seem like a walk in the park.
Between us we have 6 children, 3 dogs, 2 cats, 10 rabbits, and 2 fish to find carers for. It wouldn't have surprised us if arrangements had gone on well into the next decade. But somehow the planets have aligned in our favour and things have fallen magically into place.
So early on Saturday morning we're heading South to Thames, a beautiful town on the Coromandel, for some well deserved us time. Let's hope the sunshines on us and we have a wonderful time.

Finished

Despite serious motivation issues (or more precisely lack of motivation issues) Tatijana's top is finished. As you can tell by the photo she is totally delighted with it. Me, well let's just say I think I could have done better.
No I'm being too harsh. It was always going to be a challenge, dearest Tatijana had decided on a completely different top and we went looking for the yarn for that. Nothing in the shop was just right, it was the wrong ply, the wrong,colour, the wrong texture. At times I wondered if we might be in the wrong universe! Then she found a new pattern (the above top) and fell in love with it, but again didn't like the suggested Yarn, Natautica. She had been drawn to the Zhivago home several times and in a moment of lunacy I told her that of course I would be able to knit her top in a completely different yarn. No problem that the pattern stated it had a very particular tension.
There the issues began, the dreaded tension square was an absolute must, no way round it this time. If only there had been just one tension square. It took 8, yes 8 to get even close to the right tension. But finally knitting could begin in earnest. Notice the loops. They created the second issue. Despite the tension being almost right the loops when knitted were way, way, way too big. So another round of minor experimentation was called for. Finally I discovered that by using a much smaller needle just for the loop row I could get the effect desired.
The top is knitted sideways and is only about 100 rows. It should have taken days but instead took weeks. Am I pleased with it? Not entirely. Am I glad I made it? Absolutely. It looks beautiful on Tatijana and I am very pleased to have been able to make her something she will take back to Germany with her.

Drum roll if you please

At last you all get to see a picture of cute neighbour guy. Last Friday was the biannual Officers Ball and my date was no other than cute neighbour guy. I asked him way back in October to be my date and he agreed but as regular readers know it's been a bit of a rocky journey since then. I am very happy to say that the path has smoothed and we are now officially a couple.

The ball was fantastic, red carpet,guard of honour on entry and lots and lots of dancing. I had the best time and I know my man did too.
Now hopefully I will be able to concentrate on some knitting.
For those who asked here's one without the shades