Oh boy oh boy, have I been busy. In fact I hadn't realised just how long it had been since I last posted. So a quick recap to start with, the gentleman sock: still soldiering on, just about to start the heel on the second sock. Not cable socks: managed the rib and two pattern repeats before frogging, it just didn't look right, so instead it's become my first toe up sock in the shape of the pablo blue sock which, when I have time and peace and quiet to do it isn't coming along too badly. Not only is it my first attempt at a toe up sock, it's also my first attempt at a lace sock, and the first foray into lace knitting since the disaster with the forest canopy shawl. 

Aside from the knitting I've been extremely busy on placement having managed to obtain my own caseload, spend the entirety of yesterday in lots of very important meetings and today get to find out first hand all the bits of the mental health act I'd only read about. And that's only in the past couple of days, so excuse me while I pause for breath and try not to keel over

Despite the best efforts of my rather awkward camera I've finally managed to take a picture of my latest sock project the gentleman socks, it's a very simple but very effective pattern that comes courtesy of designedlykristi and although I've done very little on them already I absolutely adore them, and so does everyone who sees them. Lsb has already decided he wants a pair when I've finished these and my mother just had to print off a copy of the pattern for herself. 

The yarn is a Lana Grossa cotton that feels so nice to work with, and obviously being purple just had to be made for me.

Some pictures of Marco my alpaca when he was sheared last week. In the past I've said that he's a rather moody creature, but I was very surprised at how well behaved he really was - especially as the shearing process isn't particularly nice for the animals. Marco trotted out of his stall quite happily (in fact prior to him coming out for his haircut you could see him poking his head through the gap in the bars to see what was going on and just what the other alpacas were making such a fuss about), walked over to the shearers and stood quietly while they put him in the restraints and brought him to the floor and he was very quiet and well behaved throughout. In fact I wasn't even sure that I'd got the right alpaca until the shearers confirmed it for me. And there in the after picture you can see Marco looking very smart, and quite happy with his new haircut. Unfortunately I didn't have the time to stick around on the farm and get to find out all about what happens with the fleece once it's been bagged up but I was amazed at how much fleece came off each alpaca.

My gentleman socks are coming along quite nicely, but due to being so busy at work I haven't even had the chance to whip the camera out and take a photo yet. But I plan to have one up sometime over the weekend if not today. So should I not, feel free to slap me silly with a wet fish, or similar.

Ooh goodies!

Look what I just the minute unwrapped (can anyone else see a bit of a purple theme going on here?) The pouch is just about to be prepared to hold my gentleman's sock in purple lana grossa cotton and the lovely skein of jitterbug, if I can resist literally drooling over it and pawing it to death will be going into stash for 2 short while while it waits to become some more broad street mittens for me. It's actually a lot darker and more purple and pink than photos had led me to believe but that's quite a good thing, made even better by the fact I purchased the last one in stock. Now I'm going to go enjoy my coffee while I knit to my heart's content. It is after all the weekend and I can rest and relax, at least until tomorrow morning when I shall be seeing my very stroppy bummed alpaca get a hair cut, and as he doesn't seem one for enforced human contact I'm going to guess he might be a little reluctant.

You can sort of see the pattern on lsb's slalom socks. I finished them on tuesday evening, presented them to him and he's not taken them off his feet since. And seen as he's rather distracted by the new socks I can actually concentrate on doing some socks for me for a while. I've got a 1x1 rib pair part way down the foot on the go which started off as an experiment that didn't turn out too well. And on arrival of my nice new shiny order from get knitted I shall be getting started on a gentleman's sock, in purple lana grossa cotton (which was also a bargain, 5 balls for £20 - i'm rather pleased with myself). The pattern was a free one from someone's site but i can't remember off the top of my head and don't get access to the world of the knitted web at work. But as soon as I've enough knitted to post I shall post both a picture or 2 and the link to where i found it.

The colour's not too accurate but finally a picture of the completed and very green basketweave scarf. It's possibly one of the easiest complicated looking patterns I've done and lsb was rather amazed at just how complex it looked (I think I should keep the mystery and just smile sweetly rather than reveal I'm actually a crumbier knitter than he thinks). 

I can only update very quickly as I've got so much to do, but just to say that this forthcoming fun packed week involves such genuine delights as starting a new community placement tomorrow and getting to see a herd of alpacas (including Marco) get a haircut at the weekend (lots of photos to follow hopefully) and getting to sit in on a fleece to fibre workshop all about alpaca. 

I'm back from my holidays, but very very busy still. I have however managed to do the smallest amount of knitting possible. Lsb's slalom socks are just over halfway done now and in between attempting to be a domestic goddess, nursey stuff and whatever else I'm plodding along with they're coming along nicely. I start another placement next week and one that requires me to participate in lots of activity groups with patients, does anyone want to take a guess at how long it's going to take me to get a knitting group up and running? It is, as we all know a brilliant therapeutic activity and so much fun too!

I've now got the basketweave scarf and the camera in the same room together, and as it's very close to being finished I promise I'll upload a photo of it next time I update. I daren't do it now as I almost crashed the internet uploading all my holiday photos and I'm not sure it's recovered yet.