The return of KnittyNora

Well, hello there :)

Yes, yes, I know it's been a while but I promise that I have a good excuse...

As ever, my health has gotten in the way of my blogging. I've tried to post on my Facebook page when I can but I'm guilty of letting things slip a little. I won't try and promise that I won't do it again because I just don't know how I'm going to feel from day to day. What I can promise is that I will try my very best to post updates here whenever I can. Deal...? 

I've posted previously about my health issues but have always felt that I didn't want to bore you all with my moans and concerns or turn this into a blog about my silly body. Instead, I'd like this blog to be about my crafting adventures and, more recently, my adventures with my gorgeous puppy, Buster. 

Buster being gorgeous

I'm not embarrassed about talking about my health issues (I have Endometriosis and severe IBS) and am happy to share my experiences with people should that wish to hear about it. In short, I don't want to inundate you lovely people with information you might not want to know.  I can say, however, that my crafting and baking have been a huge help to me when I've been feeling at my worst. There are some days when I don't have the energy to do much at all but sometimes I just pick up some wool and some knitting needles and just start making and creating. Focusing my mind on something other than medicine and hospital appointments offers a much needed sense of relief and the sense of achievement when I finish a project (no matter how small or simple) is wonderful.

Just over 5 weeks ago I had to go into hospital for an operation. Coming home to my knitting and my lovely pup (and not forgetting my husband!) made my recovery a lot more bearable.

Here are a few pictures of my most recent creations so that you can see what I've been up to whilst I've been away......

The 'shell' necklace

Knitted shell design necklace - just need to add the fastening

The pattern for this lovely necklace was a random find thanks to a fellow crafty lady that I follow online. She had posted a link to some patterns that created from small amounts of yarn (think - patterns to use up your leftovers from larger projects). I loved this necklace and started making one right away. I decided to choose the soft green colour as I thought it would look a little more grown up and would work nicely with lots of different outfits, whether it be for daytime or night time.

The Nordic cafetiere cosy

The Nordic design cafetiere cosy I made for my husband. He loves it.

 I've been promising to make something for my husband for some time now. I haven't made anything for him since the beanie hats I made for him a few years ago, when I'd first started knitting (not counting the abandoned cable knit jumper I started a few winters ago). He loves his coffee and is a big fan of Nordic and Fairisle designs. After finding some lovely Nordic pattern books in my local library, I was really happy when my husband picked out this design. He chose the red and the white (which I already had tucked away in my stash - very handy) and that was that. I'm really pleased with the results and so is he - a win all round.

Vintage inspired baby blanket in pastel shades

The vintage inspired baby blanket I've been making for a special friend

This is a quick picture taken just before I finished the blanket so that I could post about it's progress on my Facebook page. When I say 'finished' what I really mean is that I've done the knitting and now I just need to sit and weave in the ends.... for now though, I've been distracted with some new patterns. Thankfully it doesn't have to be finished for a couple of months. Plenty of time :)

Nordic inspired, knitted bunting

The pattern for this bunting came from another library find. The book, called 'fair isle and nordic knits', is full of lovely designs that are bursting with colour and perfect for practising your fair isle knitting skills. I loved this pattern as soon as I saw it and knew it would be perfect for me to work on after my operation since I could do a little bit at a time and could quickly knit up a flag when I felt up to it. I've now knit the number of flags I need and just need to decide how I'm going to join them - do I knit a cord or sew them onto a nice length of ribbon? 

Looking forward to decorating my spare room come craft room with these beauties :)

Knitted sampler 

A great project for perfecting your multi strand knitting skills

The pattern for this sampler came from the same book as the knitted bunting/flags. I love the idea of making small designs that I can hang around the house. Again, this pattern is perfect for when I'm in the mood for a short project that keeps my mind busy and is ready in no time. I've yet to decide where to hang this..... I'm thinking the hallway so that my visitors can admire it as they walk into my cosy little home.

And on the recipe front........

Besides the knitting, I've also been busy trying to create recipes for the new diet I've been put on by my IBS specialist. Basically, all my ideas of healthy, home cooked food have gone out of the window, My diet is now restricted to meat, fish, eggs, milk, butter, rice, carrots, potatoes and sugar. All I can add is salt, not even pepper! Gone are the spices and herbs and in are simple and plain dishes that many would find uninspiring. Me being me, I have to have a go at making and adapting recipes so that I can brighten up meal times. So far, I've adapted a macaroon recipe and found a fudge recipe that should satisfy my sweet cravings.

I've currently got a batch of said fudge cooling in it's tray........time for me to say goodbye and go and have a cheeky taste.


More recipes and stories of my knitting adventures to follow soon.......


KnittyNora xxxxx