Really Charming In 1949

I find myself getting fustrated quite often when it comes to finding my next knitting project - I have a huge shelf (or 5!) filled with patterns, yet I always find myself back online looking for something else. But towards the end of January, I found a booklet lurking underneath everything else - The claim was that the jumpers contained within would only use 4 ounces of wool. Then I found "The Jumper", aptly named "Really Charming". When you name your blog "It's a Charmed Life", you really want a jumper to match, right?

So there you have it, I liked the name of the jumper, and the small amount of wool required, so I knitted it... I daudled quite a bit as I have so many other things on the go, but none the less, it's finished:

Apologies for a less than beautiful snap, it's a bit dull here, and I was so excited just to finally take a photo I didn't bother setting it up, or weighing it!

Place your bets, does the jumper weigh 4 ounces? I will be weighing it and letting you know next time, there will be no prizes but you will be entitled to feel smug if you get it right :)

I'm so taken with this booklet I'm already planning on the next project. Pink, I think.

Oh, and just in case you're interested, the booklet wasn't dated, but I found an advert in there for a Summer school starting in July 1949 - Good enough for me!

That's about all I have to say for myself today, just to let you know I'm alive and have finished something (at last!). I have finished the cardi, but have yet to take snaps. Now I only have six knitting pieces to finish!

So I'll say good-bye now, wishing you all a lovely day

Jennie xx

The National Botanic Garden of Wales

So then, what's the story in Balamory?

Well, it's been a strange few days, mostly good, though I did get whacked in the stomach by an over excited girl in a vintage shop - It was an accident... That's how she made it look anyway. I'm not too upset however as I did walk away with two bags and a hat (after paying, I must add).

Anyway, today was a rather exciting one:

We headed off to The National Botanic Garden of Wales, it's free entry during January and despite it being Winter, there was plenty to see. I won't go into details, I'll show you a few snaps from my day...




The Great Glass House

Inside The Great Glass House were areas representing different countries and also a room about Fungi.



Inside The Great Glass House

 This has made me fancy a conservatory, it's just too beautiful for words. Though don't be fooled with that blue sky, it was freezing outside, my 6 layers didn't seem to be doing much other than restricting my arms!

Conservatory Ideas?

Oh, and there were even plants there... Too fixated on buildings at the moment!

No idea, but it matches my coral jumper!

This has given me dressmaking inspiration - Watch this space!

There is also a bee garden, a Japanese garden, fish pond, a lovely gift shop - I used to be weel known for only visiting places with gift shops!

Oh and my favourite snap of the day:

You'd be quakers not to love me!

So all in all a lovely day, I do have it pencilled in my diary to visit again in the late Spring when more floral action is taking place.
In the meantime, I would suggest you come over to Wales and take a look. No boday has asked me to increase visitor numbers, but I do feel it my duty to try and talk you into coming. Here's the web adress in case I have talked you into a trip: National Botanic Garden of Wales

Hope you're all well, I'll be back soon with some exciting knitting/sewing things and proably more from my own tourist guide to Wales

Jennie xx

Vintage Puppy

Good Afternoon all, hope you're well.
Not so good here, but I really don't want to go into details just now - It's a long story for another day.

But I've missed you all, and was trying to find something fairly non-taxing to bring me back to blogging. Then I realised I still have some vintage snaps which haven't been shared!
I sound like your neighbour Jeanette after her holiday to Tenerife... Do you really want to see the photos? Tough, I'm showing you anyway! :)

Another doggy photo... This makes me want a puppy so much, why didn't I put one on my Christmas list?

There's Denise again (third from left), and her family... See the lady in the window?

If only I'd picked up their clothing along with the bag of photos...

Anyway, that's about that. The others are a bit out of focus or there just isn't much detail showing up. But I've just found the photos of my Gran's photos from the 1950s on the computer, so I'll show you those at some point. Think cotton dresses, Cornish holidays and my Grandad in shorts (bless him). They also feature a very young Mami, in a home made playsuit! Oh the cuteness!

So I shall say goodbye for now, I'll get my knitting finished and I'll have something very exciting to show you!

Until then, goodbye

Jennie xx

P.S. I just realised that this is my first post of 2012... Hope you all had a very merry Christmas and are having a wonderful start to the new year x

Don't Panic!

Well, hello! 6 weeks has it been? However long, it's been too long. All my plans had to put on hold so that I could discover and experience every possible emotion. Turmoil being number one, closely followed by helplessness, and I'd love to say everything's back on track now, but I've lost about 5 weeks, and now Christmas is next week... And I'm not prepared, everything seems to be going ?%£'s up, as my Great Aunt Dot says!

But that's enough of my whinging, I managed to get myself out to the Reindeer Parade about 3 weeks ago, it wasn't a well planned event and I must admit to feeling a slight bit disappointed, but I got to see Reindeer, and I love Reindeer - I wasn't in charge of the camera, so I am not to blame for a camera full of out of focus snaps, but this one may just redeem them all...

Those gorgeous bells remind me of The Polar Express... Have you seen it? Probably my favourite of the festive flicks, it's in the pile to watch. Speaking of which, The Chap and I are having a dinner & film week starting tonight, though we have too many films, so over the weekend, I think it will have to be two o'clockses & film & dinner & film - The list includes: The Polar Express, It's A Wonderful Life, The Santa Clause, Santa Claus: The Movie, Mrs Santa Claus, Santa Who?, Muppet's Christmas Carol and three others which are wrapped up and early presents to me to pick at random to watch - Nifty idea, huh?

As for dinner, he's cooking and I'm making the pud - Though I'm struggling to come up with enough ideas for a whole week, I'm trying to keep them indulgent, but not too heavy - Ideas?

My cuppa's gone cold, so I'll have to keep this brief unless someone wants to pop the kettle on for me.

My sewing has been abandoned also, though I managed to find the energy to make some of these reindeer brooches:

No time to make a reindeer jumper though, but I will be starting one in the New Year to ensure I will have it for December next! I have bought the wool to knit a scarf for the Chap, but I would like to ask a question: I want it to be maybe 200cm in length, and I want to knit it side-on, but my needles are too short... Do you know of any really long needles? Or should I make some? Or should I just knit it rib (which I'm not a fan of)???

I think that's me done for the day, I could sleep for 23 hours a day and I'd still be tired! Dinner and film tonight - I hear on the grapevine it's mushroom and bean stew, but I haven't sorted a pud yet... Old Fashioned Chocolate Pudding?

Oh, ladies, chaps, I need your advice: Christmas Eve... The Chap wants me to stay at his and walk up to my family in the morning, but I like waking up at home and having a little stocking at the end of my bed (which Father Christmas warned me not to expect due to the financial situation). Now, I'm torn, do I spend Christmas Eve (my favourite day of the festive season) with the Chap, or with my family? And I can't do both, it's far too stressful!

I'll leave you with that conundrum

Over and out

Jennie xx

Irresistibly Sweet

As I mentioned in my last post, I couldn't think of 7 random facts about myself, so instead asked you to ask the questions... Well two of you did!

The blog was given to me by Sew Something Vintage - Thank you

And the questions...

Lucey asked: I'd like to know if you have any tattoos and if so where??

No I wussed out of going in due to my hatred of needles, but considering the tattoos I'd be sporting now, it was probably for the best - Not that I criticise those of you who have ever-lasting doodles, they're great, just not for me (now)

Kate asked:  How do you knit so quickly??

Well, I've been trying to stick to one project at a time (ignoring the several half finished jumpers and bag hidden in the prject bag!). It's also practice, and spending up to 13 hours a day knitting (only on grotty days when I'm at home). So to sum up, stick to one piece, knit until your fingers are about to drop off and also knit something you're desperate to wear.

Well, there you have it. Lucey and Kate, the award belongs to you two now, go forth and blog!

Although back to the knitting, the 1937 Trellis Yoke jumper which has a finished back, and knitted right up to the armholes has forced me to put it to bed for now - The pattern is well and truly twisted, plus it looks a mess compared with their close-up picture, so I'm going to re-write the yoke part of the pattern, and it should be finished in, oooh, 10 years?
Fear not my children, I picked up the needles straight away and started knitting a jumper to make you weep with delight (well, maybe), it's half rib, but on number 10s and 9s! Knitting an Autumnal jumper seems a bit silly when I'm roasting like a chicken today, but here's a pic of it as of 1.30pm today (it's grown since then!)

Chocolate brown, although we don't mention the C word anymore, not until the weekend, when that Orange Aero will be safely hidden in my tum tum!

Anyhoo hoo, must dash, work to do and all that jazz

Jennie xx

Question Time With Jennie Dimbleby

Well well well, you've caught me at the moment in which I'm trying to look busy and in truth, I am well and truly stumped. Here's the deal: I have been awarded The Irresistibly Sweet Award by Sew Something Vintage (thank you), but part of the deal is that I have to give 7 random facts about myself... I cannot think of a single one, you know everything there is to know!

So, I propose that you ask me a question or several, and my favourites will be answered and if you have a blog, you will receive this award... Deal?

Oh, and about that 16 day jumper - I made a stupid mistake, it wasn't 16 days, I took a day off to do a spot of sewing for someone... It was 15 days

Enough showing off, the basket weave jumper I mentioned, well, after a lot of minor swearing (fiddlesticks and the like) and throwing the giant ball of wool across the room, I gave up! Well, I say that, it's been put in a bag for a later date. I was knitting the sleeve and discovered I had trouble counting to 6, so kept changing after 5 - I don't know why, but also the jumper is in 2-ply and felt very light and thin, so it's a Spring jumper - It will be finished for next Spring (ho ho ho).

In the meantime, I've picked up my sticks and some surplus wool and started a really simple, and a bit plain jumper from 1937. It's a mustard-y colour and has a lacey detail on the yoke. Almost finished the back, but it seems to be taking an age - It might just be a 30 day jumper at this rate!

I'll be back with some answers (if you ask my anything!), and hopefully a bit more of a jumper

All my best wishes to you on this changeable Thursday afternoon

Jennie xx

16 Days of Woolly Bliss

I was sure we were in June, now I'm looking at September on the calender - The time has just slipped away and I'm not quite sure what I've been doing.

Sure enough I've been knitting, but due to getting muddled up with my tension square, I started to knit a cardigan which, if I had finished, would have been several sizes too big as I was knitting in Aran and I need DK... Oh, how I hate spending two days on a project only to then discover that I've wasted my time, but at least I found out before I got any further. I will be revisiting this pattern when I've found some suitable DK - Do keep your eyes peeled for a 1936 cardigan!

So then I started a 1941 lacey cable jumper, only to realise it was the end of August and I was knitting in 2-ply with number 14 needles - It surely won't be ready by the end of Summer, so I'll keep it in the project bag for those spare moments. Please send me some luck regarding the 3 1/2 inches of rib!

So, to get to the point, I finally had a dig around and pulled out a pattern I'd loved for quite a while but never seemed to have the right wool - Well, a while back I bought a bag of discontinued Coral wool and they seemed a perfect match - 16 days later and I had myself a new jumper... Yes, 16 days, I should really have gone full time with it, but R.S.I. in left hand kept the pace slow. Listen to me, waffling on, and all you want to see is the jumper!

The lacey pattern is also on the back and down the sleeves.

The coral is a more pink, less orange in the flesh, but isn't that always the way with  photos?

But still not content, I finished this jumper on Monday night and started another jumper on Tuesday evening, I'm not all too sure of it as the wool matches a length of fabric I have and I was thinking of knitting this jumper to match a skirt made from the fabric... But then, I realised I may have enough fabric to make a collared dress, in which case, I won't want a collared jumper, I'd want a cardigan! But the jumper is going ahead on the matter of fact basis that the wool is a thin 3-ply and the pattern is for a 2-ply jumper, and it's knitting up a treat... There may be enough for a cardigan too, so I shan't sob. So here it is, I've started on a sleeve, just to make my mind up whether or not I like the design:

The original, from 1935:

I'm really looking forward to the monogram eeek, but what colour?

How are you all doing with your knitting, I haven't had much time for blogs and the reading of for a while, but I do keep an eye out for knitting posts. I just like that little kick to say "they can knit, so can you", so please do blog your knitteds, even if they are just a pile of pieces in the workbag.

Anyway, I really have waffled on for long enough, but I'm sure it's down to the changing season - I'm really feeling Autumnal now, the woodburner's being lit in the evening, the coal has just been delivered, I'm looking at Reindeer jumper patterns and I'm really feeling the love for warming colours; rust, green, mustard, scarlet and a dash of navy.

So I really must be off now, I have a sleeve to get back to. It won't be finished in the outstanding time of 16 days, but watch this space!

TTFN

Jennie xx