Toasties can we go on chatting forever? Looks like it!

[Countmeout]

New thread. Woke (blooming cat) to find it’s nearly full.

How frustrating @ScottishMouse - you’d have thought Toast would have checked with the manufacturers that the covers would fit any reasonably ‘sort of standard’ UK hot water bottle.

DSiS has a cover from last year, but it fitted whatever she had at home.

It is a bit odd @IlovePond. I will bring it back to the store, so I can see if any of the others there are bigger. I might just have to make my own!

They are lovely - hope you get it sorted out @ScottishMouse !

Ah, looking at the reviews and the sizing online, it seems that this year’s version is a little bigger. I bought last year’s version (ochre) as I wasn’t as keen on this year’s colour (orange).

I always thought it odd that they didn’t sell it with a hot water bottle @ScottishMouse .

I have so many hot water bottles but only one tatty cover so that didn’t me bother me @Countmeout. But I didn’t think the reason would be that it wouldn’t fit one!

I’ve got one of the sheepskin hot water bottle covers and it fits a pretty standard hot water bottle. I hadn’t even thought about the size so agree it’s odd that these ones don’t fit.

I’ve got a sheepskin water bottle and I have been peeling back the top of it otherwise the water gets the sheepskin wet when you pour it in, but now the top has split!

there is a Live today,I think it is with Jenny Garcia according to her instagram.

Oooh the Christmas ‘Win your wish list’ is back. I love this. Despite how unlikely winning would be I really love pondering my choices and take very seriously!
Also I notice we choose five items this year… I’m sure it is usually three?
I went for the hammered decorations, the printing blocks, the Kate Sheridan bag, the Chie Mihara sandals and the shibori silk dress! What is everyone else choosing?
Love this tradition; it’s like an early advent.

Off to do mine @AmethystMoonShine , thanks for the heads up.

I’m the same with the JL win your wish list. I spend ages creating a wish list every month - I take it very seriously!

Oooh thanks @AmethystMoonShine I enjoy choosing every year.

I’m going to have a little moan, I miss Nikki doing the lives so much. I just loved it. Helped by often things she had on I found suited me (although obviously I am not so slight) . And I was about the same height. It’s just not the same.

Off to ponder my wish list.

yes 5 is a lot! I went for Chie shoes, Shinori dress, wool scarf, men’s stripe jumper and one more that I have forgotten!

Oh, the Hand Shibori Silk Dress is there! @mizu
Thank you for the heads up @AmethystMoonShine
I'm the same way with the JL wishlist @IlovePond Hope springs eternal!

@Countmeout I miss Nikki too, she had such a lovely way about her, quite adorably shy/awkward, which I found very relatable. Plus respect for all her work midwifing the Lives through their early 'Let's film in atmospheric pools of shadow' days.

It's genius marketing, totally sucks me in every time. Oh, I'm not looking oking for anything for me, it's all about others. I won't even open the website.
At the hint of a kindred gift or a what would my life look like if I picked three things, I'm so there.

Had my Toast knit fit jumper admired only yesterday, wish I'd bought all the colours plus a spare. Something's just work every which way.

Shibori dress, hammered decorations, printing blocks, wine glasses, KS bag.

A festivities ready bag :)

I chose dress, shoes, hammered decorations, scarf and bag.

I have almost bought the scarf a few times - but boiled wool dry clean only is putting me off.

(I would cheerfully give it a go for free, though!)

@Stravaig yes!

I chose the dress - please, please let me win as I don't know if I could even justify that dress in a sale - the scarf, the set of glasses, the bag and the hammered Xmas decoration thing.

@mizu Fingers crossed all around! Else the dress will be something I end up buying for a tenth of the price, third-hand, in a decade or so.

There was a purple and gold shot silk skirt, one of their early statement pieces, astronomically expensive, and no doubt adorned all manner of fancy events. I bought mine 15 years later for £17, and wear it with t-shirt and sandals in summer, wellies and handknit in winter!

I've done the exact same! Fingers crossed!

I looked at the wishlist items, but there's nothing there I would actually buy, so I wouldn't bother with trying to win them.

To be honest, given that some of them (haven't checked them all ) have few or no reviews it looks a bit like trying to drum up interest in things that aren't selling. I would really get on board with wish lists of dresses, cardigans and jackets. I'm living in hope that some of the future lists will include things like that! And maybe a Donegal jumper!

Brought my hot water bottle cover back this morning. The new one was a smidge bigger, but not enough for me to bother trying. Maybe I should have brought my hot water bottle with me to try in it!

I did find myself inexplicably trying on the mohair fairisle jumper, despite finding the mohair cardigan too itchy and being appalled at the polyamide. I tried it in the green colour, which I didn’t find to be very green at all, much more a fab neutral with a twist. I have falllen in love with it. The sizing is huge, so the XXS/XS was good on me as a size 12. It is longer than last year’s version, which I prefer. It is also not as itchy as the mohair cardigan and has a different fabric mix, with less polyamide. So now I need a good reason not to go back and buy it (you would think the price would be enough of a reason, but I am still very tempted).

My only worry about the fairisle jumper is something that I have noticed with Toast knitwear in the past - the waist cuff (for want of the correct term which eludes me just now) tend to get a bit loose and look loose and pulled out of shape. Does anyone else experience this, or is it just me and my menopausal belly causing this issue? I feel like they need a touch of elastic thread in them or something.

The only jumper I have had this with @ScottishMouse is an Arran style one from a few years back. It goes a bit unnecessary. I tend to wear it now with dresses and skirts as it doesn’t matter as much as it does when wearing trousers.

In a similar vein has anyone accidentally or purposefully managed to shrink an Emma T-shirt. I bought one second hand recently to find it’s very much old sizing and I could do with making it smaller. I can wear it as a layer but would like to wear it by itself if possible.

I've noticed this as well on certain styles, I sold on my mohair fairisle for this reason. It still looked "good", condition wise, but I am very short bodied (i think?) so it was unflattering on me once it had stretched out/down, and was too bulky to tuck into my waistband. I much prefer their boxier/cropped cuts which give me more leeway on any stretching, although I often see reviews complain about short length, I normally then go for these ones.