Bleurgh Mondays

Today has been decent enough. Nicely busy at work, no disasters, and home via the shop for salad, pretzels & dip. All of which came to less than 600 calories and the best bit is that I bought fruit salad and chocolate and I don't really want either of them right now.

I have been watching cooking programs and looking forward to cookage when I move. I used to love cooking. Alli has an allotment and although it might be too late for me to plant stuff this year I imagine there will be leftovers and overspill to use up, and I will just have to shop at the market more for cheap and unusual healthy stuff.

I plan to make curry from scratch and stews and roasts because I forgot what I used to do 'before'. I have always cooked, gardened and made things so I look forward to getting back into that.


Today I am at an awkward stage where I want to knit on a shawl but if I do, I will finish it and I won't know what to take to knitting tomorrow night. I might make some progress on the giant blanket whilst I watch a film. I think I have 'The Science of Sleep'

Oh and I had my hair cut this week. First time in 15 months and definitely needed.

Today I...

• Woke up on Elli's sofa in a lovely warm sleeping bag with a slightly fuzzy head
• Knit this Pomotamus for a couple of hours (its more of a Damson colour)

• Went for breakfast (at half 12) with Dan
• Talked with him for a bit about how we are very alike, which is not necessarily a good thing.
• Went to my room to start on my OU assignment
• Went to the shop for food
• Came back with nachos, dips and Haagen Daaz. Oh and bread. Ate chips and dips.
• Tried again with the assignment
• Made a rough plan for the week so I am not at home alone too much
• Called my mum
• Checked the TV guide
• Tried again with the assignment
• Had a bath
• Tried again with the assignment
• Gave up, ate Haagen Daaz (only a bit as it was too frozen to get out of the tub) and I am now posting this in the 5 minutes before 'Who do you think you are?' starts. After which I will go to bed.

I have had quite a happy day today. I am going to knit some Green Gable whilst I find out about Lisa Kudrow's past.

Finished!

This didnt take very long at all! Now I really should take a break from knitting, and sort out my hands which are aching a bit, but I am still going to Saturday knitting with my February Lady Sweater and a spare ball of yarn and then me and Dan are going to have a wander around town in the afternoon. Hopefully it wont rain!

New phone = massive photo update!

We had Dan's birthday party on Saturday. It was over a week after his birthday but we had it at his parents house, because they love to entertain and it saved us getting our house messy. Unfortunately their new kitchen extension is taking longer than hoped so we put it off a week and therefore a lot of people couldn't make it. It was still a great night. I am quite proud of the guitar biscuits. I had been planning them for months :) On to knitting... I went off knitting for a while and really only did it to finish off the Myrtle cardigan, but in the last couple of weeks I have added to my stash and my Ravelry queue and I started this little shawl yesterday. Despite wanting to be project faithful, this February lady sweater wasn't keeping my attention. The yarn is so nice and squishy, I forget what really nice thick yarn feels like after spending 2 months knitting with 4 ply cotton. I started a baby cardigan for a friend due at Christmas. This will fit her daughter on her 4th birthday! So I lost interest. I will finish the sleeves off before Christmas (2013) I am off to London on wednesday for the first time in about ten years. We are going to see La Bete with David Hyde Pearce which I am really looking forward to. We will see what the weather is like before deciding how far to wander off into the city for food and shopping. We also went to see a house a couple of weeks ago, we are thinking about it. We are hoping to hold out and go in with a low offer but we shall see. I think that will do.

New things

I have no idea where I am with knitting. I started making more squares for the barn raising quilt but then I ordered yarn to start the Myrtle cardigan, I swatched in stockinette and got pretty close to gauge and I cast on for a 44in chest and when I measured after 5 rows, it measured about 80inches - so I frogged and did some lace swatching in the recommended 4mm needles, where each pattern measured 3 1/2in. So I went down to 3.75mm needles and each pattern measures 3.1/4 in. So I now need to find a 3.5mm circular needles (my Denises set doesn't go that small, but I do have an addi lace turbo somewhere, possible in use) and I need to do yet another repeat just for the gauge, and then I have to frog several hours of knitting so I can start with what will probably be about 6 solid weeks of knitting to get me a cardigan. But it will be worth it if I get it right.

Anyway. Holiday photos in no particular order.

Possibly worrying but it was too busy for the adders to venture out

The weather was pretty nice, it was just a bit overcast in this picture.

Best seafood ever - Moulle Marinier (probably not spelled right but I don't remember due to being under the influence of Long Island Ice Tea and wine.

The required mug shots, just to prove we were both there :)

It is Worldwide Knit In Public Day(s) this week so I am going to make the effort to go to the Birmingham City Stitch n Bitch tomorrow morning and then I will wander around the markets buying a weeks worth of food. I did this last week and I bought too much as I still have a fridge full of asparagus and spinach. It should be a healthy weekend though

Some pretty things

I am watching the election live (Actually watching the Alternative Election Night on Channel4) and I am geniunely concerned that the Conservatives might be in power tomorrow. The results are about to start coming in and I don't have wine! Grr!

So as I haven't had any pictures up for a while, here are a few to keep you interested

This is my Wonderwool 2010 haul. I got (clockwise starting top) 300m chunky merino in grey, 1000m laceweight pure silk in gold (a project has begun, details soon), 100g baby camel in gorgeous deep sea colours, some lovely shell buttons for a cardigan I don't even have the yarn for yet, a couple of samples of locks for spinning, 100g banana fiber, 100g silk hankies (undyed), aqua greeny blue dyed silk hankies (about 60g) and in the middle, some rather nice merino in a colour called strawberry shortcake, although I keep calling it raspberry ripple.



Next up, this is some spindle spinning I started last year. I want my spindle back so I thought I would finish it, its about half done and I hope to make a lacy single long enough to make a scarf or something.



This is my morning surf scarf made from handspun. Its a bit short but it blocked out to a decent enough size. This is probably going away until Winter and may even make a present for someone.



In other news, our new SnB moved to the Midlands Arts Center (MAC) and we met up there last tuesday and it was lovely. Please come along if you live nearby

BIG love

My Dylan goes Electric sweater, also known as Dan's Christmas 2009 sweater is done. I finished it at midnight on the 14th and he wore it for most of the night on the 15th when we went for Chinese takeaway and had a nice night in watching Bill Bailey. I love it, he loves it, it looks great. He asked me to chop his head off in the pics lol.

And in return I got 25 red tulips and 12 valentine cupcakes from Costco. We both did well :)

Too much snow!

I have really had enough of this snow. Yes it looks all pretty but it has been 8 days since we last saw our street. We have been relatively lucky so far, the street we live on and the one we work on are pretty bad, but all the ones inbetween have been gritted and are mostly ok, if not a little slippy, icy and scary at times.

It is impossible to have a life in this country when the weather is like this. We are just not prepared like other countries and people don't know how to drive in it.

Pretties

I spinned me some yarn!
I reached that point where I thought "I have a fibre stash, just bloody use it". I seemed to be saving all my nice stuff for something special but how am I supposed to get better at spinning if I don't practice. So I spun up the pencil roving I bought over 18 months ago from TheYarnYard and I used my Christmas present from Dan for inspiration and made an attempt at the yarn on the front cover.

I got about 100 metres and its a sort of chunky weight (and lace weight in places) thick n thin yarn which I have knit into one and a half mittens so far. And I thought I would run short but it now looks like I will have quite a bit left so I will use it to make a stripe in a hat or something in the future.
the pencil roving

the singles

I also plied some blue singles I had on my wheel so I could free up the bobbin.
I think they turned out really nice and I am tempted to spin up the rest and maybe see if I have enough for socks.

Also, it has been snowing here today. 3in so far, which is actually bad enough. Dan had a very near miss earlier, where if someone else hadn't gone through the railing earlier this year, he would have wrecked his car. Phew!

All ready!

Christmas is done here. All the presents are wrapped and a couple have already been passed around. We are eating random Christmas snacks and drinking the mulled wine we won at the pub quiz last night. We are going to Dans parents tomorrow afternoon and staying until Christmas day afternoon :)
It even snowed today, which I dont mind because I dont have to go anywhere tomorrow yay. Here is a neater pic of my Christmas tree with all the gifts for my family when I see them next Monday.

My spinning wheel will hopefully get more use next year. I have been stalking a thread on ravelry showing finished projects from handspun yarn and I am getting the bug. I also joined 10 for 2010 and have so far picked about 7 things to make before the end of 2010.
I finished the emergency Christmas socks earlier at around 6pm. They were wrapped and handed over at 8 and I even had time for a bath. The pattern is Globe Trotter socks and its a really nice and easy pattern with a lovely effect and these socks are ideal for someone whose feet you dont really know, I made the small ones and they even fit Dans massive feet. Here is his model shot.

Merry Christmas everyone x

Random things

I have been really busy for a week or 2 now. Its a nice change from my usual mundane life of work and TV with a bit of pub thrown in. Starting the weekend before last, we got a Christmas tree, did the Christmas food shop, and had a gig with free drinks and curry for the band and roadies (keyboardists wife, singers boyfriend and me). I really love my first real Christmas tree, its now surrounded with presents too (mostly for other people)


I have given up on Bakerloo socks because I really need exact measurements to make them for Dans friend Gareth. So in a fit of desperation I bought some yarn on Saturday and I finished the first sock tonight. It was quiet at work today so I spent most of the day turning the heel and kitchenered up the toe just now. I will cast on the second one in a minute and work on it for most of tomorrow. It needs to be wrapped for Wednesday night when we meet up for drinks and present swapping. We met up for a Christmas meal last weekend and got snowed on a bit, but luckily I have a few more days to sort this last present out. I am hoping to do the pub quiz tomorrow night so if I am really behind I will take it with me.

The swallowtail is done at last, I had about 4 metres of yarn left but I finished one row short to be on the safe side. It looks fab and is ready to be wrapped. I have one more skein of cashmere left for myself, I just need to think of a pattern now. My first post christmas knit will be some mittens for myself though, the shawl can wait.

I also got some felt on Saturday to make these little lavender bags as an extra present for Dans mum. They took about ten minutes each to make. I am going to make some more for my mum, maybe for her birthday in March. Dans mums other present is a large L'occitane giftset which when bought online with a randomly googled voucher code, got me £35 of free L'occitane lovelies which I am keeping for myself AND free postage :)

I also got some tube bandages for my wrists which have made a bit of a difference. I think the main problem has been the cold, but now we have a calor gas heater and a new electric radiator its a bit toastier in here.

Sadly I wont finish Dan's sweater in time for Christmas but he doesnt mind, it will be done mid January I am sure.

I think thats about all the mumbling I can think of for now

Better Pics

I really really like this and want to keep it for myself! I really like nupps too :)

This is the ball comparison. Its 650m per ball so I think I probably used the required 350m. The swallowtail which I have just started in the pink colour (raspberry) takes about 400m but I was hoping to make it bigger than the last one, which is pictured below.

The yarn is Fyberspates 100% Mongolian Cashmere :) Yum!

TaDaa!

Sisters Xmas Present is Done!

Hopefully getting somewhere

I went to my doctor again today and saw a different one. He thinks I might have asthma so has prescribed an inhaler to see how I get on. It makes sense really, I hope thats what it is so I can at least start to manage it properly.

I am hoping to get back to work tomorrow for my last 2 days.

Anyhoo here is the finished Laminaria. I have to say it looks better after blocking but I think the colour is a bit flat. I used Rowanspun 4 ply because I had it to hand. It does have tweedy bits in it but its not really my kinda colour.


On the theme of shawls, here is the last pic I took of Percy. I have done about 8 more rows on it but it hasn't really had much of a look in this week. Its super soft and the colours are lovely


This has been getting more of a look in lately. Its an Anastasia sock and I started it in May but for some reason it has been sitting around lacking attention since then. This one is almost done, fingers crossed I will finish it off tonight.

A Representative Photograph of Today

I went to work this morning (after taking Monday as holiday and Tuesday as sick) but I called NHS direct and the nurse advised me to take some time off and to take my anti-biotics so here I am back at home resting and I don't need to go back to work until Monday.

Anyhoo, this is a good representation of today:

Thats the Percy shawl I started yesterday, I was contemplating making it bigger than the pattern but its quite an open knit and its going to grow when I block it so I will just knit it to pattern and have 200yd orange cashmere to play with later. Next to it are my new glasses (red and black) which I may take back when I feel better as I can't see distance very well through them. I was going to put them on in the morning and see how I get on. I also got my anti-biotics prescription and since it takes 40 minutes to count out 21 pills!!, I got myself some lemons and honey and grapes, dark chocolate, and random medicines and things to make myself feel better before ambling back home to bed where I plan on lounging for the rest of the day, watching daytime TV and having a go at knitting Percy.

This is Laminaria - I am not a big fan just yet, hopefully I will like it more when its blocked.

quick pics

• Dan's birthday went very well, we went out for curry with his parents, and spent a few evenings in the pub, and had a meal with some of his friends. He loved all his presents, including his oversized sweater, and the new wallet I made him.
  
  

A mitt.

News

I didnt get the job :( In good news, their feedback was very positive and it was a close one. This still sucks but at least I am not completely rubbish. My cousin looked amazing when she got married last Saturday. The cake was also fabulous. We had a good day and spent a couple of days at my mums house. I went to Wingham Wool again and was really tempted to take a picture of their fiber sheds. I bought a few bits including a new drop spindle which I have left at Dan's so I can spin at his too. I did get a cashmere sample pack which is very soft but I need to ply it, probably with the mohair sample I got too. Dan's gig was cancelled on Thursday after the guitar/keyboard player hurt his hand at work which has swollen and the singer isn't feeling too good either with an inner ear infection which is affecting her balance. Hopefully the venue won't hold it against them and will have more gigs in the future. I have started Avast. There was a huge delay on this yarn, I ordered it in May but first they sent me only one pack and didnt have a second pack in the same dyelot, and then they had to order more from the supplier who were rebranding so it finally arrived on Wednesday. Dan's birthday is August 12th so its not going to be finished in time. I have made a start to the cable band and I think it will make more sense to give it to him for Christmas instead. I finished my Swallowtail shawl and I love it, I think it will be a Christmas gift too and hopefully I will have time to make a few more as they knit up really quick and I think they will make good presents.

A little less down.

I am returning on a slightly cheerier note. Considering the only people contact I have had this weekend has been with another housemate and my landlord, I am feeling fairly chipper.

I have spent this weekend being crafty since I don't usually get many weekends to myself, and I never feel like doing anything on school nights. So here are some things to be chipper about.

I have started another knitting project. There has been a problem with the yarn for Dan's bday sweater so I have started a Star Illusion Blanket because its so damn cool. I have chosen a few different colours, this is just one of the stripes. Its going pretty quick and its not too difficult to follow.

Here it looks like monotonous boring knitting
Here it is looking really cool :)

I also made a new duct tape wallet today. I got blue duct tape a few months ago. I made a silver wallet for Dan as a Christmas present last year and he is still using it. Its lasting ok but there were a couple of changes I wanted to make and so here is the one I made today. (I'm hoping you can see this as I have the photo set to private on flickr so Dan doesn't see)

Please note my numerous credit cards and lack of real cash... I'm working on it!

Dan is getting a new car in July. He has to decide what he wants so it can be ordered by the 15th. Its a company car but we still want something cool, and since I will be driving it too, I want something easy to park! The options we have chosen are:

Honda Civic in this lovely blue, this is my first choice. I know these are ten to the dozen now but I still think they are the most interesting thing to happen to car design in quite a few years.

Or..

This Volkswagon Scirocco in Viper Green. The amp will fit in the boot and the guitars on the back seat, but passengers might be a problem...

I hope he gets the Civic, it should arrive just in time to drive to my cousin's wedding in July and then we were planning on a couple of days by the sea whilst we were up that way. I love having stuff to look forward to. The new yarn should be here in 2 weeks and I can finally start this birthday sweater. I love knitting for appreciative people too!