Kismet's Companion

Yarn Yumminess #1

2012-01-26T14:17:00.000Z

So there's been a bit of a bonanza on the fibre front just recently - all totally necessary, je vous assure. First on the doorstep was the yarn for my swap partner in this year's Blog Hub Swap :

Nope, I haven't even unwrapped it myself: it is one of the fabulous colorways available from The Abstract Cat, my favorite indie dyer. You will not believe my restraint when I tell you that I did not order anything for myself. Something I have regretted since, that's for sure.

The next immediately necessary yarn is this:

Nothing like my usual color choice, but this also is not for me. My friend and ex-assistant manager Haylie's second baby Freddie was born at 26 weeks, seriously and life-threateningly early, and was not able to come home until 9 1/2 weeks later .... His first birthday is in March, and to celebrate, Haylie is raising money for the ADAPT charity. I have offered to make a shawl for her to auction or raffle, and I thought this colorway 0009 ''Butterfly'' was not only pretty, but appropriate, as the butterfly is a symbol of transformation.

Also in the package was this:

A Crazy Zauberball in the colorway 'Indian Red'. I've been wanting to try out Zauberball for some while, and this one looks perfect to make a shawl for my Auntie Hazel, my Mum's youngest sister. I was staying with her when this was in the charts; she was wandering around Tesco singing it, not having paid attention to the words at all. She also taught me a zillion card games, at which she excels - especially those involving either bluffing, cheating, or both.

Both these yarns I bought from the High Weald Fibre Factory, who have really reasonable prices; the delivery time was quick, and a lovely little touch was the mini-pack of Loveheart sweeties tucked into the centre of the Jawoll Magic yarn. All of this added together means:

Follow - Up

2012-01-24T19:06:00.001Z

Well, since I find stories without an ending an irritation (and the News is very often guilty of this, perhaps reinforcing our increasingly short attention span), I thought I would update you on my most recent Customer Service grouches.

Firstly, the very late grocery delivery from Asda - last week I tweeted them that I had a problem, and got a direct message asking for my information, which I gave; and some days later I had a very nice email from someone who spoke for the Asda Directorate, which was not only very apologetic, but confirmed the refund of the delivery charge, and told me that a £15 evoucher had been put into to our account because of the inconvenience suffered.

So all in all, I think that is a decent and acceptable response, if somewhat tardy.

Far more important than the kids and the dog starving to death from a non-delivery of food was my timorous return to the hairdresser for them to fix whatever it was that had not worked the first time, which meant that I had left the salon with the same straight hair with which I had entered.

Apparently using exactly the same product, but taking a much shorter time to curl, perm, neutralize etc, at the end of a mere 3 1/2 hours this time (instead of 5) I had curls ! OK, not, yanno, like film star curls,

but that is just not possible for someone as low maintenance as myself who also lacks a personal lady's maid, motivation and who simply can't bring herself to waste a minimum 1/2 an hour a day on doing her hair. I haven't a photo to show as yet, but I will try to get one over the weekend. I am not a total lazy slob, I hasten to add - I do wear makeup everyday, and it is put on before I leave the house, really ....

this isn't me, I promise; I found her here

But anyway. My stylist thanked me for coming back and giving her the opportunity to make things right. Check the box for ''the right thing to say''. The trick was, she sounded sincere.

So, enfin, I am quite happy with how these two issues turned out.

Friday In Numbers

2012-01-20T18:14:00.002Z

11,000,000,000 ie. eleventy billionth time I failed at parenting. Good parenting is just an imaginary concept.

10 was the volume that I was shouting at this morning

5 times that I swore in one sentence this morning

4 winter hats that Destructo Boy owns, none of which he could find this morning

3 weeks' worth of Mini Diva's freshly ironed clothes found crumpled together on the floor of her wardrobe

2 very - very - quiet children

1 maternal meltdown

0 left of the bottle of gin hidden in the pantry

Nothing More Than Ants

2012-01-17T14:48:00.000Z

So this card from the Phantomwise Tarot was me last night in the park. Except I was without the water jugs, the Zen-like calm, and much further away from the duck-pond. I also had considerably more clothes on, seeing as we were into minus figures for the temperature.

Yes, I can see you scratching your heads in puzzlement, since you know I don't go out at night and/or the freezing cold as firstly, my kids are too young to be left home alone. Though having seen Frozen Planet about the penguins, I'm beginning to wonder if perhaps I am over-conscientious about that.

We were out taking part in Stargazing Live; our bit was organized by the lovely people of the Orwell Astronomical Society - unfortunately there weren't many telescopes, but we were there from the beginning of the event, and thus got to see Betelgeuse, Jupiter, The Pleiades (dumbed down now, apparently, to the mere Seven Sisters), Venus, Cassiopeia, and Orion. We also saw the space station whizz by.

The kids were going 'oooh' and 'aaaah' most gratifyingly for the astronomers; I, on the other hand, was quite disappointed with how the far-off twinkles still seemed to be far-off twinkles. But I can fake this one thing with the best of them.

The chap that did the talking spoke to us about Beetlejuice being ready to go pop at any minute now - in astronomical terms; in people terms, anytime within the next 100,000 years. Destructo Boy was somewhat disturbed by this, as he was quite concerned that we would get sucked into the resulting black hole, like, tomorrow - and then where would we go ? Because no-one has ever been in one before, and what is in there already ? And it might be a bit crowded what with all the rocks and spacedust and things. I think also he was quite downcast that his own destructive abilities are somewhat dwarfed (geddit ? the astronomical pun ?) by a supernova.

The evening sparked quite a lot of profound questions for me. But it's OK - I forgot them all by the time we got home.

beautiful picture from Starseeds.net

Bad Hair Day

2012-01-13T10:44:00.001Z

So VIII Justice from the Deviant Moon tarot is pretty apt in describing how I feel this week about a couple of customer service issues; and it's not the first time I've blogged about poor service - either I am unlucky, service standards are indeed falling - even plummeting - or I am turning into a Grumpy Old Woman.

I order my weekly groceries online from Asda for delivery: I spend less (no impulse buys) and it avoids wasting valuable family time in the supermarket at the weekend. This week, I waited for 4 1/2 hours, 2 1/2 of which were after the specified delivery window, for my delivery. Customer Services rang the store, and then some poor underling got the short straw of calling me to tell me he had no clue why I hadn't had my delivery, why it appeared on the CS system as ''delivered'', where it was currently, and what time I might expect it. There was no apology. There was no management available to answer my queries. There was no refund on my delivery charge - it had to be processed by management; if I would like to call the next day and speak to him, it could be arranged. It is also not the first time that this kind of thin has happened - there was one occasion where my delivery never showed up at all .....

Guess who'll be shopping at Sainsburys from now on ?

The second instance of poor customer service was at the hairdresser. Remember how I told you DH had been wildly extravagant with my Xmas presents ? Well, one of them was gift vouchers for an expensive nationally franchised salon (nameless in the interests of fairness until the problem is fixed ....or not), as I haven't been to the hairdresser for about 18 months. Having been in for a consultation where I said that I wanted 4 things:

1) a perm

2) height on top

3) curls, not waves

4) for my hair not to be in my eyes

I got none of these things. Well, maybe the perm - technically.

I paid £110 (approx. $169) - yes, that's £110, I can't believe it myself ! - and I spent 5 hours in the salon (it took her over 2 hours just to put the rollers in) which included having my hair washed with water from a kettle because there was some problem with the boiler, being left for over 1/2 hour with heavy-duty conditioner drying on my hair on my own with nothing to do/read while she went and did a cut/blow-dry on another customer, and a very lacklustre apology when at the end I extremely politely said that I wasn't happy with the result. I also had to call a friend to collect Destructo Boy from school as I wasn't going to make it .....I was there from 9:30am to 2:30pm. I had 3 cups of tea, 2 wees, and missed my lunch entirely.

She went off to speak to her manager, who did not condescend to come and speak to me herself, and as a result I am returning there on Monday - with plenty of trepidation - for my hair to be re-done from scratch, for free.

I had paid £70 for the perm, and £40 for a cut & blow-dry - the cut was 1 inch off my ends, no layers or shaping, and took her less than 10 minutes. I am afraid that I did not leave a tip.

I called yesterday to speak to the manager, and received ...efficient ...assurances that the stylist was indeed fully qualified and that I would have it all fixed without issue, and not to worry.

This is a photo of the very becoming but totally uncurly back of my hair about 3 hours after leaving the salon:

Needless to say, DH is gutted: his carefully thought out gift ruined.

The Best-Laid Schemes ....

2012-01-09T12:34:00.001Z

.... o' mice an' men

Gang aft agley, ''

Even I didn't know I spoke Scottish. And I won't do so again in a hurry, I promise.

It's a good thing that I don't make New Year's Resolutions, or the one about posting regularly would have already been broken. But we can spin it and instead say that it was an unplanned holiday ...

This Queen of Pentacles from the Comparative Tarot deck illustrates what I have been mainly doing: watching other people. Not, not being a voyeur, just that I haven't had anything much to contribute - especially since I have got too ~~apathetic~~ mellowed out to get worked up or involved in anything controversial.

While my Good Twin has been on the missing list because of the stunning lack of foresight, preparation and ability to react of her local authorities, my Evil Twin has been on a tekky buying spree ( a MacBook of surpassing style and price) and I have been organizing the second Blog Hub Swap - sign ups close at the end of Sunday 15th January, so you have loads of time left to join in on something that was great fun last time.

I have some research to do on the next line of soaps I want to make, and my knitting goals for this year are threefold:

1) nothing with a deadline (there are only 2 items with a deadline, and I will not allow this number to increase)

2) knitted gifts for the mature ladies who are important to me: the lilac Karise Shawl is on it's way to my Auntie Vera in Aberlady as we speak. Two of the remaining three may possibly occasionally read this blog so no names for them yet so as I can avoid the heads up, but I'm almost 100% sure that my Auntie Hazel (my mother's youngest sister) does not, not being a fan of technology

3) this year is also therefore my year for shawls. I love 'em. All I need to do is find a way to display them.

4) not a knitting goal ....I want to seriously pick up my crochet this year. A simple Granny square afghan will do.

And finally, I want (and need) to revamp my website.

None of this is happening today, though, as Destructo Boy is home from school with a temperature.

FO Friday 67: Karise Redux

2011-12-30T17:24:00.000Z

So here it is, another lie exposed .... last Friday I told you all about my likely final Finished Object of 2011, the Karise Shawl I made for Mini Diva's BFF:

But it took a mere 2 skeins of King Cole Merino 4ply in 'Lilac' and odd moments stolen throughout a 4 day period, to knit up another Karise:

Actually, I ran out of yarn with about 80 or so stitches left to bind off .... so I cheated and finished with a bit of Stylecraft DK in a very similar lilac that I had hanging about. You can only notice if you know where and what to look for.

This Karise is destined for my Auntie Vera ( my great-uncle David's 2nd wife: his1st wife Una Jean was my mother's Aunt) in Scotland, as a thank you for her many kindnesses to me.

I am cogitating my New Year goals .... and will likely share them with you soon - but I wouldn't hold your breath.

Meanwhile, over at Tami's Amis, you will find more end-of-year loveliness .....

A Rose by Any Other Name .....

2011-12-29T01:25:00.000Z

..... does not smell as sweet. Shakespeare was wrong.

I have stolen downstairs in the middle of a wind-tossed winter's night to tell you all about my gift, while polishing off the sad remainder of a box of Turkish Delight ...

DH has spoiled me terribly, and by that I mean he has actually spoiled me far too well, and has been most wickedly extravagant on things that I cannot return to the store. One of the things he gave me, having consulted with Destructo Boy, was a bottle of this:

And oddly enough, the topic of perfume and men's buying of it had just been a topic explored by my Twin Ania both on her blog, and her Facebook page.

After a misspent youth wearing Opium and Obsession, I achieved some subtlety, and grew up into the très très chic scent that is Caleche by Hermes. I have worn nothing but Rose perfume for about the last eleven years or so. Firstly Crabtree & Evelyn's 'Damask Rose', until they stopped making that and replaced it with the somewhat inferior 'Evelyn Rose', which I have continued to use even though I live in the provinces where it is impossible to find; it looks as if it is going down the same forlorn path. I have also used the RHS Rose perfume, which, again, is proving somewhat challenging to find.

My DH and Destructo Boy, knowing all this, went on a mammoth hunt through everywhere they could think of, and the closest thing they could find was this 'Very Irresistible' by Givenchy, which says it uses 5 types of rose in its manufacture. Bless their cotton socks, I love them dearly, and I so wish that I could say that this smells of roses. But it doesn't. It smells like expensive French perfume.

And now, so do I.

Stick A Fork

2011-12-23T07:26:00.001Z

..... in me and call me toast - cuz I am DONE.

DH is already on holiday, Belo had the kids, so yesterday was spent in a frenzied whirlwind tour of the town's most exclusive retail establishments.

Well, actually, it was far more like a well-organized and brilliantly executed military campaign through ToysRUs and late-night shopping at Asda-of-the-Empty-Shelves, but that doesn't sound half so interesting. There was only one failure: there was not a Tech Deck to be had for Argos or money. Still, I think that the loud guns will make up for that.

Today I have to pop into town to collect DH's gifts (pre-ordered), there is a little housework to be done, a dog to be walked, and I have a manicure session planned with Mini Diva. For half of those I will definitely be in my trackie bottoms.

I also have what I think may be my final FO of the year:

This is Karise. The pattern was generously gifted to me by Steph, and I had the yarn from a de-stash Ewenique did some while back: Knitpicks Shadow in the colorway 'Petals'. Although this was laceweight, there was yarn enough for 4 repeats of Chart A, 3 repeats of Chart B and one of Chart C. The pattern was lovely, easy to read, thorough instructions and no errors; the stockinette contrasts so beautifully with the lace sections. I'll be knitting this again quite shortly, I think. This version has gone as a Christmas gift to Mini Diva's BFF.

That is probably also the final post before Christmas unless I manage to get up hours earlier than anyone else over the weekend, which seems ...unlikely. Do remember to have a relaxing and joyful Yule.

Little Things

2011-12-16T21:11:00.003Z

Final day of term over. Done with. Everything brought home, and already washed. Dog walked and fed. Cats fed (numerous times throughout the day). House clean. Husband still at work until tomorrow afternoon. Children at their Belo's for a sleepover.

Hence my choice of Chamomile from the Druid Plant Oracle for today's post, indicating a time of calm and rest. I really like the detailed artwork of this deck, and I am familiar with all the plants used for their own practical herbal sake, rather than a 'Druidic' connection. I wish someone would commission the artist Will Worthington to do a proper English/European herbal deck - I used to own the Herbal Tarot some years ago, but it didn't resonate so well because many of the herbs were specific to the USA.

So my plan for this evening consists of staying up late - just because I can (no alarm clock, no kids) and knitting 3 extra repeats of Chart A of Karise ... seeing as how I am using laceweight and it is written for fingering/4ply. I am sulking at it a little bit right now as as there are 108 stitches on one side (correct) but only 107 on the other (incorrect) ....

But then, this cheered me up:

Yes, rubbish photo but it's been dark and snowing/sleeting/raining all day. It is Destructo Boy's deceptively simple Xmas sweater. Here's a far better photo of the buttons:

Aren't they just fabulous ? I got them from Mollimoo on Folksy - do have a look, she has some very pretty things, and with friendly service too.

And on the back:

Because as Mr.Kitten said on this blogppost, nothing says Christmas like a skull and crossbones.

And do you remember me wondering about the somewhat odd buying system of the Garn Studio/Drops website ? Luckily for me, my friend Mags offered to act as my ~~pusher~~ ~~dealer~~ facilitator, and thus procured for me some yummy alpaca 4ply, and 2 skeins of laceweight just for the heck of it, which arrived this morning.

What's that ?

Yes, one of the laceweights is black.

What'd you say ?

You're absolutely right, I don't know what I was thinking. Probably I was caught up in the rush of actually being able to get hold of some Drops stuff.

Now, do you see the small crinkly looking package on the right ? No ? Try now:

Next to the lovely Xmas card is a pack of jenuwine Stroopwafels. Read 'em and drool, Hestia - they're MINE !

Please do check out other lovely FOs at Tami's Amis.

Rewards

2011-12-13T17:47:00.002Z

So this was me today. Calm, chilled, relaxed, focussed. Believe that, believe anything.

Actually, this was far closer to the truth:

I had looked at Moonheart, and I really think that she had totally the right idea about how to spend the day - especially since it was very cold and blustery outside:

Yes, the radiator is on, and that is a rather unusual and hard-to-come-by spider plant that she is crushing, next to the very expensive cutting that came from Kent that she has her paw in. Buddha also took a header not long afterwards.

However, as I was just about to settle down to Karise (thanks so much again, Steph) with a cup of tea, blankey, hot water bottle and Dr.Mark Sloan, I saw this:

Irresistible, isn't he ? A mere hour and a half of running around chasing squirrels and big leaves in the park turned him into this:

I need to figure out how I can be more productive during this time.

Confession

2011-12-08T10:49:00.001Z

Not mine, I hasten to add - because I never do anything wrong so never have anything to confess. Except that one time when I was dating DH and admitted to squeezing the toothpaste tube from the middle ....on purpose. Our relationship survived even though I still do that.

But I was speaking with Uber-Cool Brother yesterday. If you are psychic like what I am and have a memory, like what I do not, you may remember that this year he was the recipient of two, yes, count' em, TWO, hand-knitted scarves, for his birthday.And you will already know where this story is going.

Number One was this one:

Flame Chevron stitch, using BFL 4ply from Abstract Cat in the colorway 'Sunday'.

This shade was not quite in Uber-Cool Brother's personal color wheel; so I was happy to make another in a color he himself selected:

German Herringbone Rib stitch, using Skein Queen's 'Squash' 100% merino 4ply, in the colorway 'Aunt Betty's Pond'. This was apparently perfect: the right color, the right stitch, the right length ....everything.

You need no tarot cards to know that he wore it once and then lost it. The poor old reprobate is having to make do with the first scarf. So seeing as how I wuvs him, and I have a lovely friend who will order from the bizarrely random Drops website for me (their byzantine ordering/purchasing methods brought me to a hissing point non-plus this week) so I can have some delicious - and discounted - alpaca ....he may have yet another scarf. Although it certainly won't be in time for Christmas ... there is a skull & crossbones sweater with that deadline nailed to it ....

What I had been trying to order from Drops was their light cotton DK, to make a sweater for my youngest nephew - who will be 2 years old in February. I found the pattern in the Woman's Weekly Knitting & Crochet Special of January 2011. I can't believe I just put that right out there in the public domain: me, and the Woman's Weekly ..... the only reason that my life isn't over is because I didn't have one in the first place ....

But anyway. The recommended yarn was Rowan Denim. I just laughed out loud when I saw that - and worked out the cost as approx. £40 ($63). For a toddler's sweater. Like that was gonna happen. Having been defeated by the Drops ordering process, eventually I found a good substitute in James Brett's Kool Kotton from Texere, delivered this morning for the comparatively measly cost of £14.30 ($22.45). Far more affordable, and practical too - the dye doesn't bleed as it does with the Rowan Denim. This will be one of my only two 'must' projects for next year .... more about that theory another time.

A Clean Christmas

2011-12-05T21:07:00.001Z

So it's the 5th of December, 20 days til the Big Day itself. Nanny having come up to go to Mini Diva's special school assembly, has returned southwards bearing Xmas gifts for the youngest nephew and niece, plus the niece's birthday present for January, and her own Xmas gifts from us. I excel myself in terms of organization as far as DH's side of the family is concerned this year.

A stash has been collecting for Mini Diva, but the stockpile for Destructo Boy is sadly lacking. Mainly because I have been trying to find things that he will like and play with, that do not have wheels, or any vehicular connection, as his room is overflowing with petrolhead toys already. So that means there is one Mickey Mouse T-shirt in his stash. And nothing else, so far. Panic not, I am known far and wide for my ability to magic things on the hoof, and thus will have discovered plenty of Fun Wheel-less Things for Boys before Xmas morning.

In a - hopefully - not too tenuous link, just in case you too are searching for a gift for the difficult-to-buy-for, might I just point you towards my Folksy shop ? Where you will find the most deliciously scented, luxuriously lathering, interesting looking, skin-friendly cold process soaps .... including this year's seasonal duo, Melchior and Balthazar:

Balthazar is enriched with a dollop of shea butter and fresh honey, and is scented with Frankincense, sprinkled with frankincense resin, and the top is dusted generously with gold mica.

Melchior is scented with Myrrh, a slightly sharper and lighter scent, and contains a generous helping of cocoa butter; sprinkled with myrrh resin and also dusted with gold mica on top.

Both soaps are wrapped in gold-flecked mulberry paper, with a full ingredient listing, and are available as a pair in a gift basket, together with a new 100% cotton flannel, a sprig of silk poinsettia, wrapped in crisp cellophane and tied with a seasonal ribbon:

Dear Americans, you can order up until the 10th December and still have them in time for Christmas. Fellow Brits, you have until the 20th December.

The Kindness of Strangers

2011-12-01T10:56:00.001Z

This colorful 6 of Pentacles from the Tarot of Trees is to exemplify the kindness of strangers. I have been very fortunate to receive some lovely things this year - sometimes simply for the asking, and at other times, wished for but unasked - from people I have never met except online.

Quite some while back my Alabama friend Sara of Lazy Knits & Purls was having a clear out and, amongst other things, was getting rid of some Brittany knitting needles; tongue-in-cheek, I suggested that I was a worthy beneficiary. Lo ! what showed up in my mail a couple of weeks later:

At around the same time, my Fen friend Susie from Useless Beauty was itching to jettison some Malabrigo Lace in a lovely colorway, . She didn't like the feel of it: I know ! Not in her right mind, obviously. D'you think I took advantage ? Why, yes, yes I did - I nominated myself as being is dire need of it, and Lookee ! what my postman delivered a bare few days later:

One skein of which was sent much later to my friend monkey Mimi so as to share the love, and the other I transformed into the Waves of Leaves shawl (blogged about here, here and here):

My Good Twin, Alison of Hestia's Larder, sent me - apropos of nothing - a deck I'd been quite keen on for a while, the Fenestra:

My Evil Twin, Ania of AniaM, sent me a bunch of ebooks, mainly crime - murder mysteries. I wonder what she's trying to tell me ? By the way, I have actually met my Twins in real life.

And just this week, mi amiga Janine of Where the Nodding Violets Grow not only emailed me with a lovely comment about my last post, but said she'd found one more ball of the Sirdar Sirocco she'd gifted me, and would I like it ?

Also this week, I was surfing my Ravelry friends' activities, and noticed that m'amie Steph had posted pictures of her completed Karise shawl. Why yes, it is green (again) - why do you ask ? Since her alter-ego's name must be Kermit ....

I asked her if she might lend the pattern to me, and - Whallah ! - there it was, gifted to me and sitting in my Ravelry library ! 'Course, that means that now I really do have to knit it.

So take that ~~Bainbridge Scholars~~ Mister Kitten, for all those posts where your thrift shop finds made me weep and wail.

My Oprah Moment

2011-11-28T21:02:00.001Z

The inscription on the base, in full, reads ''nemo potest personam diu ferre fictam'' and translates as, ''no-one can wear a mask forever'', from the philosopher Seneca the Younger.

The card depicts I The Magician far more traditionally, close to the Marseilles 'Le Bateleur' or mountebank, and so much more realistic than the egoist self-deluder of the RWS tarot: here he is a pedlar or tinker, throwing dice as an additional way of fleecing the unsuspecting simpletons who believe his smooth words. This is the original snake oil salesman.

This card is perfect to describe the toxic person who keeps impinging on my life and raising my blood pressure. According to Forrest Gump, ''stupid is as stupid does'', and nothing I can do is going to change that.

So I am reclaiming my inner peace, taking back ownership of my mental serenity, pouring oil on the troubled waters of my soul - and refusing to engage any more. Their true self, mean spirit and lack of ethics will either be revealed to their unquestioning group of supporters, or not.

The good thing about hitting your head on a brick wall ? It feels great when you stop.

A Good Deal

2011-11-24T22:10:00.001Z

Well, I am totally more of a dictator than a princess, true - but this is not the reason that tonight I would feel no pea under my mattress. I am shattered: today has been one of those days where lots of things didn't go as planned. And therefore took up more time than I had anticipated.

My computer seemed to have turned jpg. files stored on a CD to wav. files. This meant that - for instance - the 4 of Wands was a rather nifty drumbeat. Nifty, but I can't cope with my computer having synesthesia/acid flashbacks.

The new washing machine was delivered. Or rather, unceremoniously tipped onto the middle of the kitchen floor. The delivery driver couldn't wait to shuffle off. I unpackaged it and moved it myself, only to be stymied by the transit bolts: I have ~~whinged~~ mentioned before that my DH lives in some previous century with the other Luddites, as a result of which any spanners that I could find were Imperial, not Metric ....

Then my grocery order was 30 minutes late. And wrong (although to my advantage, if only I liked pitta bread). Add to this the usual child-related stress (on my part) and screaming (on theirs) and I am wiped out.

So while I am chillaxing with a rum and coke, I thought I'd dash off this merry, uplifting little post so as to shed some rays of sunshine into your otherwise drab lives. I trust you are suitably grateful ?

But actually, I wanted to tell you about a little offer my friend Ania and I have cooked up.

I lie. Like a dog. Like a mangy, misbegotten stray dog.

It was all Ania's brilliant idea, really, I'm just dragging along on her coat-tails. She has this idea to offer our customers a deal: a simple and easy one, too.

Buy £10.00 worth of soap from my Folksy shop, and you will receive not only some fabulous soap (I am shipping to the USA now, owing to the many requests - thank you !) but also a code entitling you to £5.00 off any purchase at Ania's website. Great idea, huh ?

I am the proud owner of a totally unique custom-made tarot bag from her, and a custom velvet reading cloth that DH treated me to a couple of years ago for my birthday.

I received this as a thank you after my time was up as Chair of TABI. I can't show you a picture of the gorgeous reading cloth as whispers I spilled candle wax on it and haven't got around to sorting it out yet ....

If any crafter would like to join in with our reciprocal offer, drop me an email with a link to your website/shop ...

Tootin' My Own Horn

2011-11-22T09:26:00.001Z

Well, like this fine fellow on the Ace of Wands from the Prairie Tarot, today I am crowing to draw attention to my latest handmade cold process soaps which are for sale.

Even if I say so myself (fortunately plenty of other people say so too - some even blog about them !) they are really kind of great: lots of smooth, creamy lather, kind to your skin, lovely scents, and sometimes they even look interesting.

They make a great gift - I even offer a giftwrap basket service; I can also post direct to your intended recipient. Got no-one to buy for ? Then treat yourself - everyone has to wash, so you might as well splurge a little and wash yourself with my fabulous soap.

All my soaps are suitable for vegetarians, and some are also suitable for vegans - if you have any questions, please ask.

International people, if you'd like some great soap, drop me an email and I can figure out the postage for you ....

In no particular order, there is:

Soothing Serenade: with a generous dollop of shea butter in the mix, this is a relaxing blend of lavender and camomile, a layered purple and white soap. I keep making this one because people keep asking for it.

Summer Lullaby: colored by the pink Argiletz clay used in its making, it contains shea butter and honey for extra bubbles. This soap is scented with Rose and Camomile, two flowers than made me think of a warm, sunny lazy summer afternoon - hence its name.

Reveille: for me, definitely a morning soap - swirled white and green, its zingy, bright Lemon and Mint scent is a eye-opener, almost guaranteed to wake you up when you wash with it in your morning shower - a much nicer way to greet the day than the Reveille it's named after.

Rajah's Romance: subtly romantic, this soap swirled with pink Argiletz clay and containing a generous slurp of cocoa butter is scented with the sub-continental scents of Rose and Sandalwood, evoking the hills of the old Kingdom of Mysore.

And, finally (for the moment), is:

Babushka: colored a deep, almost tranluscent purple by the magic of alkanet-infused olive oil, and containing conditioning sweet almond oil, this soap is scented with the traditional and very feminine spring floral scents of Lilac and Sweet Violet.

Go ahead - order some. Make my day - and yours ....

FO Friday 61: Hat Trick

2011-11-18T19:08:00.001Z

My title just goes to show how side-splittingly witty I am. Just in case you hadn't already realized.

The first of today's Finished Objects is - FANFARE - that blimmin' Vintage Cabled Sweater that lasted for nearly ever:

I am so glad that I simplified the sleeves and just had one cable running down the centre; if I'd knitted it exactly to the pattern,. ie. cables everywhere right up to the edges, I would still have been knitting this at the turn of the next century - and it's only for a 7 year old. It's made using the fabulously good value Stylecraft Life DK in the colorway 'Crocus'. It's washed, dried and awaiting Xmas wrapping paper.

A quick and easy yet impressive-looking knit was the Seriously Simple Shawl:

Made from one and a teeny jot balls of Regia Hand-dyed Effect by Kaffe Fassett in the colorway 'Rubin', to which the photo does no justice at all. This too is washed, blocked, dried and folded awaiting Xmas wrapping for my MIL.

And finally, the Hat of the Hat Trick:

Not my photo, so this time I'm not taking the blame for the fact that this too doesn't show the fabulous warm earthy colors of Patons UK Colourwork Aran in the colorway 'Terracotta'. The pattern was the I rish Hiking Hat; all I did different was to lengthen the ribbed section to make a turn-up brim. It was a birthday gift for my BIL, for when he walks this:

OK, there isn't any Irish involved with that. Or hiking, as it happens - apart from anything else, they live in the Fens, which is flatter than Holland. But there is Outdoors, so that counts, right ?

Over at Tami's Amis are lots of purty things to look at ......

WIP Wednesday 67: Oh My The Color !

2011-11-16T12:24:00.001Z

Well, I'm back like I promised, in order to talk about my current WIPS - it was dry and not too overcast today, so I also managed to take a couple of photos:

This is the beginning of a baby blanket using Jarol New Arrivals Baby DK Randoms in the colorway 307 .... Bubblegum, on 4.5mm needles. They got the name spot on, I think; although I am calling it Raspberry Ice. I'm using the stitch pattern ''Tilting Block'' from Barbara Walker Vol.II .

And I have also started making a Christmas sweater for Destructo Boy, who stated his color preference as black. Oh how much those of us with poor eyesight to begin with love to knit with black on these long dark winter nights so badly lit by dull eco-bulbs. So anyway. I have a nice vintage pattern for a DK raglan sweater with a placket neck, and I found a lovely chart for a skull while I was roaming the interwebz.

I'm using Cygnet DK, which Ravelry has listed as a worsted weight for its recommended gauge, interestingly; it feels like a proper DK to me, not light and skinny like some can be - and nice and soft too.

I feel I must divulge to you that I've been looking at fingerless mitten patterns. I'm somewhat afeard that this may be sailing way too close to the lee shore that is sock knitting ....

You'll find lee shore survivors over at Tami's Amis ....

Is Meh Infectious ?

2011-11-15T12:51:00.001Z

The 4 of Pentacles from the Bosch Tarot shows me picking up my pentacles and going home.

I'm still here. Just hunkering down, nothing much to say or share. Well, not anything that's socially acceptable, anyway. There must be a meh-bug going round - several of my favorite bloggers are also relatively silent right now.

Meh-ness never usually affects me for long. I 'spect I might be back tomorrow with some WIPs .....

WIP Wednesday 66: Hiatus

2011-11-09T11:01:00.002Z

I've two things to show you today, one of which will amaze you because it's so nearly done that it is surprising that I didn't stay up even later last night simply to be able to say ''it's done, at last'':

All that needs doing is the side and sleeve seams to be sewn up. I had to buy another ball of the yarn yesterday as I ran out with the collar yet to knit ....

And speaking of planning fails, another project came to a shuddering halt - halfway through a row, too ! Again, because I ran out of yarn in row 21 out of the final 26 rows .....

The internet is great for 24/7 shopping, and so yesterday morning another skein of this yarn dropped through my letterbox from the friendly and efficient Sheila's Wool Shop ....

As Mini Diva's school had a teachers' personal development day yesterday, we popped into town and amused ourselves by buying bits and bobs for her Operation Christmas Child box (which we couldn't have done if the kind lady in the Shuropody shop hadn't given us a shoe-box). It is a Christian organization, but for us, sharing and giving is non-denominational.

Over at Tami's Amis, you will find other progress reports - I'll have to catch up with you all after my guests have left and I have quit panicking about the broken washing machine ....

WIP Wednesday 65: :Better Late

2011-11-03T10:57:00.000Z

.... than never.

So all my plans yesterday fell apart and on top of that, the washing machine broke: the drum does not go round. I just ran out of time, energy and will to blog yesterday. So I'll make up for it today instead.

As you'll recall, I have been working on the Vintage Cabled Sweater for at least a century, and at the last check, only had about maybe 3/4 of the second sleeve to go. Now I have about 5/8 of it to go:

It has progressed so little because I have been led astray by this:

I found this at Wibbling Wools in Bury St.Edmunds when we were there at the weekend: Regia Hand-dye Effect by Kaffe Fassett. It is being turned into the Seriously Simple Shawl pattern, another lovely creation of Wendy D.Johnson.

I think this is a far more enjoyable photo even though you see a lot less of it :

Moonheart in Dr.Jekyll mode

Less tardy and less lazy people's work can be seen at Tami's Amis ......

FO Friday 58: Twofer

2011-10-28T16:00:00.000+01:00

So it's here at last: FO Friday and the weekend. I am crazy drunk with the thought of freedom and liberation, as Mini Diva and Destructo Boy are staying at their Belo's for the weekend, so that DH and I can celebrate our wedding anniversary (better late than never): we are going to Bury St.Edmunds, walking the dog, and DH is cooking me a special dinner - I love having married a chef. Add wine, knitting and plenty of sleep, and that's pretty much my idea of a perfect weekend. Let nobody say that I am high maintenance or difficult to please.

Onwards and upwards with today's Twofer: firstly, the scarf for my eldest BIL:

To recap: this used 3 balls of the discontinued RYC Classic Silk Wool DK in the colorway 'Bramble', and the pattern is the 'Twin Leaf Lace Panel' from BW Vol.2. Eldest BIL has proved himself Knitworthy by the warm reception he gave this birthday scarf.

Secondly, I am proud to present Mini Diva's Sky Shawl, which will be hidden away until Xmas. This is the Summer Mystery Shawlette pattern of Wendy D.Johnson, and it is most definitely a shawlette; I was quite worried at how small it seemed - barely a neckerchief; but rather than frog it back and start again casting on a minimum of an extra 48 stitches, I blocked it really aggressively. I ought to have read more fully about it on Ravelry and her blog: I would have made it larger from the start. Lesson learned - use Pentacles attributes ie. pay attention to detail and be thorough.

It used about 1 and a bit balls of Cygnet Truly Wool Rich 4ply in the colorway 'Baby Blue'; the slight scratchiness went after soaking and fabric conditioner, and it was easy to knit with - a very slight halo, but no splittiness or snagging. I'd use it again, especially as they have some pretty shades and are excellennt value for money at 205m/224yds per ball.

Do pop over to Tami's Amis to see lots more pretty finished things .....

WIP Wednesday 64: Canine Caper

2011-10-26T15:08:00.000+01:00

You already know that I don't really do cooking - so why the Whimsical Tarot card illustrating the Knave of Hearts ? This:

This used to be about 1 lb. of lambs' livers; the bowl is my seasoned flour ready to coat it before pan-frying, and then casseroling in yummy gravy gently with smoked bacon and sliced onions. I had walked through to the front room to see how Mini Diva was doing with her homework, and returned to find a thief had been and gone. A tidy thief who had left not even a blood trail.

sleeping off the aftereffects of the heinous crime ?

Hmm. Let's line up the usual suspects for a food robbery. Three cats and a dog, you say ? Jewel and Inky never get on the counter under any circumstances, as they are rescue cats and thus are careful of their manners. Moonheart, Mini Diva's mercurial cat, both wanders the counters, sleeps on top of the microwave and kitchen cupboards, and has been known to steal before (whisker-prints in the butter); however, her alibi is granite solid, seeing as how she was outside prowling the neighborhood at the time.

Which leaves this laughing larcenist:

So anyway, I can't show you pics of my BIL's scarf until Friday, but I can show you this kind of odd picture of Mini Diva's Xmas shawl:

Go me ! But makes for a kind of empty WIP Wednesday, as I'm back to this: only the sleeve, sewing up and neckline to do ...this last bit just seems to drag on forever....

Don't forget to hit up Tami's Amis to see Art and Craft rather than crime scenes .....

FO Friday 57: Friday Night is Bath Night

2011-10-21T13:28:00.001+01:00

I found this marvellous image of the 6 of Wands online from the Phantomwise Tarot by Erin J. McCauley to illustrate today's post: it's Friday, and the start of half-term, and we have made it !

Mini Diva's parents' evening was yesterday, and I am afraid I am getting just a tad complacent with all the good reports she gets term after term. Long may it continue !

But anyway, tangible stuff that has been completed ... I promised you today that I would post some soapies ... Firstly, the special limited edition called 'The Tarot Suits', a set of 4 soaps which have been themed to each suit of the Tarot through scent:

These have been very successful - many sold on pre-order, so that I only have two sets left.

In addition, I have 5 more new soaps listed:

Aztec Queen, perennially popular - with Cocoa and scented with creamy Vanilla, it contains generous amounts of cocoa butter.

Old Faithful - enriched with Rhassoul clay, sprinkled with Allspice, loaded with shea butter and scented with that old-fashioned gentleman's fragrance, Bay Rum: slightly piquant, sweet and spicy.

Continuing the West Indian theme, Caribbean Sunshine - enriched with lashings of shea butter, made with coconut milk, and scented with Coconut and Pineapple, this will evoke warm sunny beaches ....

Suggesting peace and relaxation, California Dreamin' contains plenty of hemp seed oil, along with shea butter, and is fragranced with a great combination of Cedarwood and Patchouli.

Helen of Sparta (she was also known as Helen of Troy, whose beauty not only launched a thousand ships but resulted in 10 years of war and the destruction of Troy itself) is an unscented, uncolored soap made with oatmeal for gentle exfoliation, goatsmilk and honey.

Phew ! I don't have international shipping listed, but if you live outside the UK email me with what you'd like, and I will cost the postage on an individual basis for you ....

Now I'm off to Tami's Amis to check out what everyone else has completed for today !

WIP Wednesday 63: Old & New

2011-10-19T10:51:00.000+01:00

Ooh - er. So Blogger has this shiny new interface; which I'm sure is fabby and squeaky-clean and simple, with bells and whistles too when one knows where to find them. Which will probably take longer than today, that's for sure.

I will tell you all about my most recent soaps in detail on Friday, but in the meanwhile you can see (and buy !) them from my Folksy shop; currently I do not have international shipping listed, but I am happy to find out costs on an individual basis - just drop me a note here in the comments, by email, or message me via Folksy.

Work has continued at a somewhat leisurely pace on the scarf for my BIL, but it is a pleasure working with RYC Classic Silk Wook DK: soft and not splitty, easy to handle.

I think part of the reason I'm liking it quite so much is because it's DK weight, and the shawl I have started for Mini Diva's Christmas present is 4ply. The pattern is another Wendy Johnson shawl, which she ran as a mystery KAL this summer: hence its name, Summer Mystery Shawlette. I love the way that her patterns are written and charted so clearly; and - of course- they are so pretty. I am halfway through Chart B; I am reversing the instructions for the second half (after the spine) as I prefer the shawl to be symmetrical. It is pretty straightforward, but I must remember to not watch exciting/interesting TV when I'm getting used to a new pattern. Or cry at Matthew's stiff upper lip, as tears blur the instructions.

I'm using Cygnet Truly Wool Rich 4 ply in 'Baby Blue'. As apparently us growing out of being pink & purple is permanent. It definitely feels wool rich: it has that slight scratchiness I seem to recall from childhood. But I am armed with good fabric conditioner, so I shall not despair as yet.

Don't forget to pop over to Tami's Amis where people concentrate on their creations ....

FO Friday 56: The Seekrit is Out

2011-10-14T10:39:00.010+01:00

Well, this is the least I can show you:

A tiny ball about the size of a large marble, which is what's left over after the completion of the Seekrit Projekt.

'Course, that really is the least I can show you. But since I'm in an expansive, friendly and generous mood (let's not say exhibitionist or proud), I will reveal the Seekrit Projekt in it's entirety:

Posed over a recently painted wall just up the road - I needed a light background to show the shawl at its best; I had to wait til the kids were at school to do this in case my eccentricity embarrassed them ...

As for the Madeline Tosh laceweight 'Prairie', colorway 'Briar'. Hmm. Yes, it's nice. 840 yards/768 metres, which is good. But it is still only merino wool - and not especially soft, at that. The color is lovely, but again, I don't find it to be jaw-dropping. So I don't think that it justifies its price tag of £25.00 (approx. $40US) when in the USA it retails for $25 (approx. £16) , a considerable difference that I do not believe is due to merely the shipping costs.

Don't forget to check out Tami's Amis for other beautiful creations ....

Integrity

2011-10-12T21:31:00.004+01:00

Like spirituality and honesty, the people who shout about it most, have it the least. You know who you are. And slowly - very slowly - others are coming to know who you really are, too.

Destructo Boy Celebration

2011-10-10T11:55:00.005+01:00

Destructo Boy is 6 years old today ! I have no baby photos of him - they''re all digital and trapped in an old hard-drive, so I think the next oldest is this one when he was about 2; he had gotten out of bed, tootled along the corridor, and plonked himself down for more sleep on top of his Dog:

He's still just as cute now. He has opened a mountain of presents, to play with when he gets home from school.

The Magic Number 9

2011-10-08T06:00:00.003+01:00

Happy 9th Anniversary to my honey.

I believe those marks in your back from the shotgun barrel may have faded somewhat by now.

Keep on truckin'.

WIP Wednesday 61: What Was ....

2011-10-05T12:30:00.007+01:00

..... I thinking ? I'm involved in a curtain-washing frenzy today, as they say it is the last warmish, dry - and very breezy - day before Cowboy Autumn defeats Indian Summer and takes over. Having previously bleached and washed (the aroma of Shed is not one that excites me) some pretty but old green & white curtains I'd been given, I picked today to put them up in our sunny back living room. Only to find that although they looked the right length, in fact they are too short. Of course.

Cue juggling which curtains go where; and - natch - they all have different hooks and fittings. But I think I finally have it sorted: the warm tawny-orange curtains in the south-facing back living room; the Delft-like cotton ones in the north-facing front room; the pretty green & white ones in Destructo Boy's bedroom - the only window that they fit.

So with only Destructo Boy's curtains left to put up, I'm taking an unusually well-earned break for lunch, and to blog, before taking Sebastian to the park ...

This is where the Seekret Projekt has got to, about 70% complete, I reckon: not an awful lot of yarn left, and I'm getting increasingly paranoid about not having enough to do the picot edge bind-off.

I was finding the 281 stitch rows kind of wearisome, so I also started another scarf for yet another BIL (my DH is the middle of 7 children) whose birthday approaches; it's in RYC Classic Silk Wool DK in the lovely colorway 'Bramble', which I had bought absolutely ages ago with this particular BIL in mind:

And - as if I needed more excitement after our trip to A&E at the weekend - I took some trousers off the washing line last evening to bring them in, and was rather perplexed to find them buzzing loudly. I gave them a robust shake, and out flew this:

About 2 inches or so of hornet. I grabbed the fly/wasp killer and sprayed it for all I was worth .... falling over the sofa in my haste to retreat without losing sight of it. I popped it in a plastic tub with a lid, where it continued to twitch for about another 24 hours .... which made me feel cruel and barbaric, but also showed what will be keeping the cockroaches company when the world ends.

Go and see some lovely projects on the go over at Tami's Amis ....

Snap, Crackle ....

2011-10-03T13:49:00.008+01:00

.... Pop.

A fabulously hot and sunny Indian Summer weekend is not complete without at least one trip to A&E. Which is where we spent approximately 3 1/2 hours late yesterday afternoon with Destructo Boy. Today's card from the Morgan-Greer tarot deck is quite accurate - except for the head bandage and the blood. Thank the gods there was no blood, or else Destructo Boy would still be screaming now ....

Not content with having broken the old shower head followed by breaking the new one within a day of its installation, as well as his sparks scooter, he utilized a visit to the playpark with Belo and Ubercool Brother to Destructo himself by falling from a climbing frame and breaking his right wrist.

Mini Diva has not gained her name for nothing, and fails to see why her brother is getting all the attention; she looked something like this - but younger and not Latina:

as she exclaimed '' But it's only an ARM !''

Destructo Boy has a cast on for 2 weeks as it's a buckle fracture, the doctor at the fracture clinic this morning told me. After that, he should be fine. For some reason, he is embarrassed by his cast and doesn't want to go to school ....

It is very lucky that his shared birthday party - a trampolining party at the sports centre - was on Saturday, and went not only without a hitch, but without any damage to anyone more serious than a graze. However, I think the bowling he has requested for his actual birthday next weekend may have to wait until his arm has healed.

To add insult to injury, someone(s) have scoffed Destructo Boy's birthday box of grown-up chocolates that he was given ....

Hidden Gems: Cotton, Suffolk

2011-09-29T11:34:00.015+01:00

So yesterday I played hookey, and went to a little village called Cotton with Belo. It seems somewhat random, as many villages do - so hard to see what brought people to live in a small clump together. However, it has Hidden Gems.

The first Hidden Gem is a rambling building full of old-fashioned 'stuff'. I guess technically this place is an ironmonger's shop, but really it was an Aladdin's cave of Stuff with the surprisingly normal name of J.Lawes.

Stuff you'd never thought of because it's just there somewhere in your life quietly doing its job - but of course, someone must make it, and other someones must buy it .... for example, manhole and drain covers, Vim, Borax, several different types of string and rope sold by the yard from big reels, drawer handles, chains, sweetpea seeds, kerosene lamps, lasagne dishes (trying to tempt Alison down for a visit by mentioning that as she must need to add to her collection), bathmats, galoshes and a truly amazing variety of different mouse and rat traps.

And, well, really, just hardware wonderment in spades. Which they also sell.

To me, these two items are of academic interest only, of course my house is spotless and we have no need of such antiquities as my grandmother used as we have air fresheners. But I did buy the sweetpea seeds as not only are they guaranteed as ''heavily scented'' they are also ''floriferous'' ... and can be planted next month. Which is Saturday, of course.

And the second Hidden Gem was a gift/tea shop called Emzo which was rather like the Tardis in terms of external size related to internal size, but which looked way prettier and I bet smelled tons better too. Belo, who had not questioned that someone might need to buy a door hinge small enough for a dolls house at J.Lawes, along with teak garden seating and a Pyrex measuring jug at the same time, now queried why people might want to buy pretty decorative thingies that were lightly scented to clutter up their house with, or coasters prettily painted with this year's trend ie. cupcakes and ooh ! look ! a matching china mug, candleholder and notebook ! But I did buy some small girly-type pretties for Mini Diva as stocking fillers for Xmas.

Both these mind-boggling shops in this tiny village in the middle of nowhere. Go figure.

Today is the hottest 29th September - 28 centigrade, 82 fahrenheit - since 1865, says the news. So having been to the park and run the legs off the dog earlier while the morning was cooler, now I feel faint and that nothing will cure me but to sit gently and preciously on the patio soaking up some very unseasonal rays ....

FO Friday 53: Undeclared Finished Object

2011-09-23T11:20:00.004+01:00

So there is nothing much for me to do right now: I have powered my way through my tasks this week, leaving me only with a modicum of housework to do today. As a result I have a kind of cheat for FO Friday - I finished it and gifted it ages ago (June), but forgot to take photos. I borrowed it back for a moment just to take the following picture:

It's Sirdar 1912, made from Hayfield Baby Bonus in 'Mint'. A quick and straightforward knit; I think now I have made 2 tank tops and 2 sweaters from this pattern, ranging from the 3-6 month size up to age 5 or so.

After going over to Tami's Amis for everybody else's FOs, I am off to hunt out a stunt scooter, and get to grips with Google +. I know no fear .....

WIP Wednesday 59: Taking No Prisoners

2011-09-21T13:07:00.010+01:00

I guess this image of the 7 of Wands from the Tarot of Northern Shadows might seem a bit grim or gruesome, but it's how I feel: I am Achieving. Not quite against the odds, but certainly against my usual laziness. The tasks listed as 'To Do's this week are gradually becoming 'Done's, hence they are my triumphal skulls.

I even woke at 4am this morning, and got up because my mind was whizzing with ideas ... I think I've found a solution that I like for my packaging; I will have a special limited edition collection of soaps out soon, linked to tarot ... here is the first one cut and ready to cure:

Made with goatsmilk, honey, pink Argiletz clay and an array of luxury oils; scented with Rose Neroli .... The second is in the mold right now, and the third and fourth will be in the molds later today. This week, I am taking no prisoners.

In other news, the Seekrit Projekt is coming along -

I can post a picture because you can't tell what it is.

And even when it's a magnified picture, you still can't tell: brilliant camouflage. Yarn's a pretty color, don't you think ?

Pop over to Tami's Amis for some more WIP loveliness ....

Promises, Promises

2011-09-19T09:50:00.004+01:00

So just a li'l post today to publicly commit to the promise of Getting Stuff Done this week. Mainly by not blipping around on the interwebz.

Having made it through last week, and added a busy weekend during which I cooked dinner 2 out of 3 times, and time 3 was a re-heat (liver & bacon, and macaroni, ham & cheese .... not lasagne. Just sayin', Alison), I am persuaded that this week I can be disciplined: I can do everything I must/need to do, plus still have time for the things I want to do. Sometimes there is an overlap between those 2 lists, but not so often.

So, the beds are made; the house is tidy; Destructo Boy's birthday invitations have gone out; I have one wash out already and am washing the big curtains today; I have printed the recipe for today's batch of soap; I have had my daily cup of coffee; England defeated a surprisingly strong Georgia; Downton Abbey is back on for the Autumn season; the kids are at school; the dog is snoring. And the sun is out. What's the worst that could happen ?

FO Friday 52: A Year Completed

2011-09-16T09:54:00.008+01:00

Ha Ha ! I've made it to Friday ! and I'm still in one piece - all appointments kept, all unexpected flies in the ointment dealt with (requesting that the child who has a history of trying to bully Mini Diva is moved so that he is no longer sitting right next to her) and only some normal stuff left to deal with today: a bit of housework, and some soapy stuff - cutting and curing, a couple of new batches to make (most likely cedarwood-patchouli and cool citrus basil). And dinner. I feel like cooking dinner - of course, the drugs may wear off in the interim and I return to my normal stove-avoiding state.

I finished the scarf for UberCool Brother and mailed it off to him on Tuesday. He called me Thursday and proved himself knitworthy by the rave review he gave it; the rave review a friend of his gave my soap was also fantastic to hear ...

Here are nice photos of the blocked scarf:

Unfortunately, the scarlet runner beans aren't ours, but our neighbor's, climbing over to our side of the fence. Ours .... died.

It was made from Skein Queen 'Squash' 4ply/fingering 100% merino in the colorway 'Aunt Betty's Pond'. The stitch pattern is German Herringbone Rib.

More yumminess can be seen - as usual - over at Tami's Amis, where we are all celebrating a year of FOs ....

WIP Wednesday 58: All ....

2011-09-14T13:28:00.007+01:00

.... Wiped out. Well, I am this week: the second week of term and everything is happening - Mini Diva's classroom tour yesterday, today the hearing test review, followed by swimming and gymnastics after school. Also today is Destructo Boy's classroom tour.

Tomorrow I have a meetup with the friend with whom I am planning her little boy and Destructo Boy's joint birthday party, the grocery delivery, and optician's appointments for both children. Sebastian is also due to return to the vet for a checkup this week. My sister is over for a visit starting tomorrow. All of this means that I have done little to no knitting, and minimal soapmaking.

Far more importantly, it meant I didn't have time to meet an old friend for coffee; not even when he upped the stakes to offer lunch out: my friends will know how much it wrenched my soul to turn down good food cooked, served and washed up by someone else. Let alone the wine.

So there has been no progress on the Vintage Lilac Cabled Sweater, but I have cast on for a Seekrit Projeckt using Madeline Tosh 'Prairie' 100% merino laceweight in the colorway 'Briar'.

When I can draw breath again, I shall catch up with all the WIPs over at Tami's Amis ....

FO Friday 51: The Wheel Turns

2011-09-09T12:25:00.014+01:00

THE END OF SUMMER

The summer days are fading, as they must
From endless hours to short and fleeting light
The bird's once bright, immortal tune, now cries
A melancholy aura to the dusk
The children fiercely climb, and dream, and race
Before their wild and unchained days depart
And yet beneath the zeal lies a half heart
For there isn't time, there's only enough space
The sun seems low, a hazy orange sphere
Now reminiscing sweetly of the days
When endlessly before you summer lay
And as in the deep, crimson dusk you stir
Your soul joins with the birds in wistful brood
Crying for lost summer days, for childhood

[author's name removed by her own request, received via email 26 Sept. 2011]

The wheel of the seasons definitely feels like it's turned this week: what with the gales, rain, clouds, gray skies and chilly evenings, it seems like a switch was flicked: beginning of term = autumn. And looking at our patio reinforces that:

May 2011

end July 2011

beginning Sept. 2011

It's clearly time to pull the summer bedding and get ready for planting spring bulbs, and winter/spring bedding.

Another FO today is a batch of Aztec Queen Soap: loaded with cocoa butter, a creamy mix of vanilla and chocolate makes this a smooth and special soap ....

Head over to Tami's Amis to see who else is talking about Autumn ....

WIP Wednesday 57: Twiddling

2011-09-07T12:44:00.009+01:00

...my thumbs. Short and sweet post today, as you won't believe how much time twiddling sucks up.

Mini Diva went back to school yesterday, Destructo Boy today. I popped into town to remedy the parenting fail discovered this morning: no new school socks for Destructo Boy. This - of course - led me to also top up their stash of pants and vests - it's been all too easy to believe in the arrival of autumn with the recent gales and winds; it's the earliest that I remember DH being winded off at the port, too.

I've been pretty consistent with my efforts, so that I've now completed one sleeve of the Vintage Cabled Sweater; I modified it so that there is only one cable framed either side by a mock cable, rather than a full repeat of the front & back pattern: I thought this would be quicker, easier, and also, if done in the full pattern, when put together, the whole effect might be a little ... too much:

And I may just complete UberCool Brother's scarf this week too:

Let's just pretend that the bottom of the photo being missing is totally on purpose. There's some great photos of things to look at over at Tami's Amis ....

Versatile Blogging

2011-09-05T06:01:00.001+01:00

So three lovely bloggers have considered my blog worthy of an award; this time, it is the Versatile Blogger Award, passed along to me by WitchyKnits, Miss Soo, and Rugby Mad. Thank you all.

You may now envision me curtseying gracefully, clutching my award with one fair, newly manicured hand, and waving regally with the other.

Here is the award:

The conditions are that I thank whomever I received the award from, and link back to them; I must share 7 things about myself; I must pass the award along to 15 blogs that are newly discovered by me.

To make sure I don't repeat the same information, I looked up the last time I got an award. Please to note, I have achieved Number 10 on the list. So. Sharing seven new-to-you things about me:

1) I am gradually turning into my mother. This is worth many, many .... many blog posts all on its ownsome.
2) I am reliant on my Twins more than I think they realize: Good Twin, and Eviller Twin. Yes, I have worked out that three of us means we're actually Triplets ...

3) I'm old enough now to choose to wear practical, comfy shoes (see #1)
4) I stopped smoking just over a year ago.
5) I have gone up 2 dress sizes (see #4)
6) I don't care too much about #5 because now I have a D cup.
7) I will own a Siamese before I die.

And, as I haven't discovered 15 recently, 10 new blogs:

1) Di Sandland: great jewellry.Like my sister, she has Behcets.
2) Good Enough: crafting blog, mainly knitting.
3) Northern Snippet: helps remind me why I left my former career
4) Alchemist's Grove: Australian soaper
5) Inner Whispers: I've watched this one develop and find her voice
6) The Essential Herbal: interesting stuff about the uses of herbs
7) It's Own Reward: Bajan crafting and recipes ...
8) Songs from the Wishing Tree: tarot & crafting
9) Marcia McCord: tarot & stories

10) AndyBC: Lenormand tarot

Enjoy !

FO Friday 50: Small Things

2011-09-02T12:04:00.009+01:00

The final Friday of the summer holidays ... Destructo Boy is fully kitted out for the new school year; Mini Diva ... not so much. I have postponed the purgatory that is uniform shopping for her until tonight, when I can make the suffering joint by including DH in the process. I already did the shoe-shopping without murdering her, so my place in a martyr's heaven is assured.

Since UberCool Brother's Scarf, and the Lilac Vintage Cabled Sweater seem to be such slow movers, instead I finished the hat made with the leftover ball of Robin Picasso Chunky; because of the modifications I made (which included a row of eyelets especially so we could have ribbon), it doesn't look so much like the beret of the pattern, but a rather dinky mob cap kind of thing. Regardless, it fits, all her hair fits in/under it, it'll be lovely and toasty warm in winter, and she looks super-cute in it:

And the first soap of the new season is out of the molds (custom molds !), an unscented, uncolored Oatmeal, Honey & Goatsmilk that is currently nameless ....

As usual, lots of pretty things to see over at Tami's Amis ....

Visit Bury St.Edmunds !

2011-08-31T15:33:00.018+01:00

So the weekend weather forecast wasn't the best: cloudy, cool with some very heavy showers, but I dragged DH out regardless, and on Saturday we headed to Bury St.Edmunds.

There's a large market that isn't just tons of bad-taste cheap clothing, lots of indie shops, at least three - THREE ! - yarn shops, plus a fabulous lady with a yarn stall on the market, plenty of coffee shops, nice pubs, and generous, cheap parking close to the town centre.

It is totally obvious why the Abbey Gardens make such a huge contribution to 'Bury in Bloom', and why the town has won so many floral awards; the planting is amazing, and immaculately maintained - a brilliant example of old-fashioned beautiful parks bedding:

Also tucked away near the ruins is a small herb garden, complete with Green Man, and a tranquil memorial rose garden:

There is also History. Stuff that looks like Proper History:

the Abbey Gate

Stuff that used to be History before it fell down:

the Abbey after Henry VIII

And People that made History:

Much as I am fond of Ipswich, we went home wondering why Bury St.Edmunds isn't the county town of Suffolk. No, this post is not sponsored by some subversive Group for Change ....

We had a lovely day of wandering around, taking our time, stopping whenever we felt like it, not having to consider the wants or needs of anyone other than ourselves. There were no sulks, no inconvenient bathroom visits, no boredom, no moans or whinges, no panicky moments where you can't see one or other child amongst the crowd, and no random muck and stickiness.

It felt odd.

FO Friday 49: Dust Bunny Massacre

2011-08-26T08:23:00.007+01:00

Just like the St.Valentine's Day Massacre, except armed with trash bags, a duster and a vacuum cleaner, my own personal armageddon of cleanliness is destined for the annals of history, no doubt.

One, if not the only, goal I had this week while the children are away, was to muck out Mini Diva's sty; it isn't something I can do when she's home because DH really dislikes for the whole street to hear me being a harridan: when I'm in a temper, volume is not a concern for me.

And when I'm deep cleaning her room, I'm in a foul temper: all those CDs, DS games, DVDs out of their cases and on the floor getting scratched; all the clean clothes washed and ironed with such care scrunched up and crumpled at the bottom of the wardrobe; old sweeties with 'stuff' stuck to them; books stashed willy-nilly in every nook and cranny. And millions of pieces of paper, of all sizes and shapes, leftover from projects, drawings, story-writing and I don't know what else.

But at the end of the day, I had achieved this:

The chest of drawers has lasted about 4 years, not too bad for chipboard. And amongst the debris, I found this which I can't resist sharing with you - it made me laugh out loud:

Head on over to Tami's Amis for some crafting goodness .....

WIP Wednesday 55: Weekly Ramble

2011-08-24T09:04:00.011+01:00

So this week is feeling very odd - the kids are at their Nanny's (my MIL), DH is (of course) at work, and the house is terribly quiet, as it's in the nature of all three cats to be generally noiseless, and Sebastian is unusually subdued - there's no itching and scratching, and a huge improvement in his skin, as he is back on antibiotics and steroids. I think he may be missing the children. I almost wrote 'as well' at the end of that sentence, but caught myself just in time.

I have indulged myself with grown-up food; I have stayed up very late to see the end of a film: 'Something's Gotta Give' - I kept waiting for Jack Nicholson to break into his old, tired mad/crazy persona, but he didn't. This film was refreshing just for that. And my goodness, does Diane Keaton ever play a woman who is not nice, and does not scream and wail ? I have watched trash TV: 'Teen Mom' and 'Teen Mom 2', which make me wonder exactly how Americans bring up their children so that they end up without boundaries, discipline or respect: Jenelle and Amber, I'm looking at you.

But this is not an essay on what is wrong with modern youth, but rather a show-and-tell: first, the usual suspects:

We have just shaped the bottom of the armholes of the front.

And Uber-Cool Brother's German Herringbone Rib Scarf:

which is probably about 1/3 of the way through.

As if these weren't enough to be getting on with, last night I cast on for a beret for Mini Diva, using the ball of Robin Piccasso Chunky left over from her lacy vintage sweater . (Yes, Calophi, I had totally forgotten to post the pattern as I promised: it'll be in the mail today). It's the Beret in Fisherman's Rib with Picot Brim, and I wish I'd read the project notes of the other people who have knitted it before I started: it is not written very clearly, especially considering the version of Fisherman's Rib used is rather unusual - Google is my friend, and it turns out that this version is German in origins. We will persevere, and see how it goes:

And I suffered a couple of 'moments' because I simply could. not. remember where I had put the skein of Madeline Tosh laceweight in 'Briar' .... so spent some time running around the house like a complete nutter searching for it obsessively ....

I advise you to head over to Tami's Amis where there are sane people ....

You Pays Your Money .....

2011-08-21T15:09:00.006+01:00

.... and you takes your choice. Hobson's choice, in this case. I've been keeping an eye out for quite some time now for either a Cissus rhombifolia 'Ellen Danica' (Grape ivy) or a Cissus antarctica (Kangaroo vine).

Having used the fantastic resource that is the RHS plantfinder, I found two people that supplied these vines, one of whom is only 30 miles or so away from me: in May I sent an email asking if there were any in stock, and waited over 2 weeks for the reply which said 'no'.

The other supplier is in Margate, Kent. I stashed this little nugget of information away until yesterday, when we were in Kent to ~~dump~~ drop off the children with my MIL for a week; and DH, because he loves me, took me to this nursery (more about which another time, most likely).

This nursery had both plants in stock, perhaps 4 pots of each: 'rooted' cuttings only, not established plants, mark you, in 1 litre pots:

This was the best of the bunch.

This was with it:

Yep, that says £6.95 ($12 approx). It also says 'rhombifolia' when I'm fairly sure it's 'antarctica'; their 'rhombifolia's were labelled as 'antartica's. Although I really wanted a 'rhombifolia' I didn't buy one as they looked pretty ropey: as rooted cuttings, they didn't look established, rather, that they were at that point when you're hoping against hope (or experience) that they will make it, teetering on the point of no return. And I am the Queen of Failed Cuttings, so I'm pretty ie. extremely familiar with the signs.

My point is, £6.95 is extortion for an uncertain, mis-labelled, unestablished cutting, however hard it appears to get hold of. But I (or rather, DH) paid it, because it seems to be the only opportunity I had to obtain it. The law of supply and demand in up-close, personal, expensive, action.

It better live.

FO Friday 48: Twofer

2011-08-19T09:57:00.009+01:00

No songs today, but actual real life FOs, two of them: go me.

First is Tracy's Shawl that we last saw being soaked and blocked; it was sent as a gift over a week ago, but I haven't heard anything from the recipient. Here it is modelled by Mini Diva:

A lovely pattern in a lovely yarn: Artesano 100% alpaca 4ply in 'Anemone'.

And again, here is Mini Diva in her new vintage sweater, made from only 4 balls of Robin Picasso Chunky in the blue colorway; having succeeded with this, I am very likely to make a purple one for her cousin D. Mini Diva had requested the blue; apparently purple and pink are so yesterday ....

Engorged with my successes, I am off over to Tami's Amis to peruse those of others ....

WIP Wednesday 54: He Haz Sadz

2011-08-17T10:42:00.008+01:00

So all my timing has fallen apart: no FOs for last Friday, but have completed one since, and I almost had only two old faces to show for WIPs today. With this whip cracking almost audibly behind me, last night I cast on for Uber-Cool Brother's second birthday scarf.

I spent some time yesterday evening trying stuff out - otherwise known as swatching. Yes, I have trouble believing that myself, and I was actually there ! I tried out the Dragon Skin stitch, but it didn't 'pop' enough; then I tried out the Ribb ed Leaf stitch pattern - twice, with a different amount of cast on stitches - but that also didn't come out as well as I thought it would. So I let my fingers do the walking through Barbara Walker's 2nd Treasury, and ended up with German Herringbone Rib, which I am quite liking after 3 or 4 pattern repeats:

This is the 'Squash' 4ply superwash merino from the Skein Queen in the colorway 'Aunt Betty's Pond', as selected by Uber-Cool Brother himself.

In addition, we have made some progress with the vintage cabled sweater for my youngest niece; each 8 row pattern repeat seems to take ages, I think because it's in DK ...

The furry head is Sebastian getting in on the act, feeling sorry for himself because he lost the battle royal on this occasion and so ended up being showered/bathed in his special shampoo. He lost, but I am the one sitting here in wet clothing ....

This is the 'I am clean, feel way better, but am compelled to guilt trip you in spite of all cuddles and treats' pose. I can tell you it's pretty effective. We are back to the vet tomorrow morning.

Over at Tami's Amis, as usual you'll find many interesting and beautiful projects, but I doubt any will be quite so sorrowful-looking ....

Speed Demon

2011-08-16T08:39:00.016+01:00

Yesterday dawned bright and sunny - an excellent omen. Having taken an amazingly long while to realize and then get over the panic engendered when DH said he'd left his driving licence at work (which shows severe lack on my part of being awake and/or thinking coherently as he is ~~anal~~ ~~OCD~~ very attentive about this kind of detail), we dropped Sebastian with Wendy, the lovely lady who does doggy daycare, and then the kids with my friend Karen.

After a peaceful and uneventful smooth drive, we found ourselves just outside our destination by noon; being a bit early, we stopped to stretch our legs, and for a restorative gin (mine), at one of the prettiest pubs I've seen:

The Greyhound at Burton-on-the-Wolds had lovely decor, individual planting that shows that management has a personal interest in gardening, was clean, and the welcoming, smiling service reminded me about the friendly temperament of Leicestershire; no wonder it's award-winning, me duck.

Then on to Prestwold Hall for DH's driving day (his 40th birthday present). Very well-organized, professional and smooth, the day ran without a hitch. Here's a photo I took of DH in the Audi R8, which he forgot to look what speed he achieved:

And here is one of him in the Aston Martin, in which he noticed at some point that he was doing 158mph:

Yep, that's how fast he was at driving, and how slow I am to take a photo. Here are the brilliant photos taken by the venue:

Today he is back at work in his 440bhp new, latest model Mercedes .... slightly more bhp than the Audi, but not as much as the Aston Martin ...

FO Friday 47: Not-FO Friday

2011-08-12T10:46:00.008+01:00

So today's not-FO Friday post is in tunes ....

Just replace ''Bananas'' with ''FOs''

We have no FOs because:

But at least I can promise you

Mainly because

However, there are plenty of FOs (if not bananas) over at Tami's Amis ....

A Fish

2011-08-09T13:08:00.005+01:00

I have a sense of surreality that I can't shake. I had Radio 4 on last night (rare, as I bore easily of the mainly trivial concerns of chattering Guardian readers) but I wanted decent news updates of the so-called 'riots' in London.

I came downstairs this morning to find Destructo Boy watching Spongebob. After breakfast, we popped into town to the market for fruit, and to the butcher for bones (stops the dog from eating people) and all we could see was ordinary people going about their ordinary business in the sunshine.

Hence the surreal feeling, having heard the news, and seen the footage of people's livelihoods going up in smoke.

I'm a member of several forums (fora?) covering several different interests, and of course there are people from a multitude of backgrounds, nationalities, experiences and political hues. It's been interesting to read the views of the bleeding-heart pinkos, the Col. Blimp brigade, and the truly damned: the fence-sitters.

It all merely confirmed me in my depression and hopelessness. These robbing, destroying 'yoofs' (some directed by older teens and parents, would you believe) are the future of my country. Ineducable, unemployable, with no respect for anything or anyone.

picture from The Guardian. This is not a political protester/rioter. This is a criminal.

It doesn't matter what the cause is, what kind of 'social injustice' has encouraged them to believe that they have the right to pillage and burn - I don't believe that this can be changed. It's too late, for them. How would these thugs feel if it were their Grandma whose home was burning ? Their brother, or their sister, who was getting mugged ? When there are 8 year olds out looting, I'm wondering about the parents.

How did this happen ? I don't care. I don't care what excuses people come up with to try to explain. Because that's what it is, excuses. Even animals are smart enough not to defecate in or destroy their own den. These criminals have destroyed their communities for a new pair of Nikes and a flat screen TV.

Friday in Colors

2011-08-05T14:11:00.012+01:00

Random topic for a post, I know. But I haven't a FO to show, really. I don't count totally decluttering and organizing the living rooms, a job I hate almost as much as I hate bankers and stockbrokers.

So, F is for fuchsia.

Red (begonia)

Indigo (lobelia)

Dark orange (helenium)

Apple green

Yellow (rose)

Yeah, you're right - some of these were a stretch. But they are all in my garden or patio.

WIP Wednesday 52: I Haz ....

2011-08-03T13:20:00.010+01:00

....motivational Fail. The weather is fabulous this week, hot and sunny; they threaten that it will break tomorrow, with thunderous downpours that may cause flooding.

I have motivational fail when the weather is great, as it's too good to waste being indoors doing housework, plus the kids are playing outside with water and are in and out every 3 seconds tracking dust and other assorted muck across the floors. Plus I like to snooze in the sun.

I have motivational fail when it's cold and raining because ... well, because on a day like that ? why even bother to get out of bed. And of course, if you don't get out of bed then you can't see the housework that needs to be done. This is what's known as a win/I need Kim & Aggie situation.

Uber-cool Brother's reception of his scarf has confirmed his Knitworthy status, although the color was not quite right; so he selected, and Belo paid for, this:

100g/400m of Squash 4ply sock yarn by The Skein Queen, in the colorway 'Aunt Betty's Pond'; which I found at The Yarn Cafe, who had it at my door in 2 days, along with some Haribo sweeties and a sachet of cappuccino mix - a lovely touch, and quirkily appropriate for a 'Cafe'. All I need to do now is find a suitable stitch pattern: not full-on lace, but maybe a few holes would be OK; I like the idea of some kind of scroll pattern - I liked the Flame Chevron, but I don't feel the need to repeat its use so soon. Suggestions, please ....

And my main WIPs are progressing; we luffs the blue one (although it looks odd here as I took the photo under thunderclouds this evening): chunky wool on 6 1/2mm needles, it knits up fast ....

And we quite likes the lilac one, having got to grips with the user-unfriendly way that the pattern's written; please don't notice the goof where Transformers 2 was getting too exciting ...

And this WIP ... all I can say about him is that it's bluddy lucky he's so good-looking.

I can almost guarantee that you'll see motivational Wins over at Tami's Amis, celebrating one year of WIP Wednesdays already !

FO Friday 45: I'm Done

2011-07-29T19:05:00.008+01:00

Like a turkey at Christmas, that is. I think one of today's FOs is me ... the kids and I were tidying the patio, I bent over to pick up Destructo Boy's bicycle ... and couldn't stand back up straight. Something has gone 'ping' that isn't supposed to, I think.

Lucky that it was before this nagging reminder of encroaching age that I washed and blocked Tracy's Shawl, isn't it ? Because kneeling on the floor leaning on my elbows to pin it out for however long it took simply wouldn't be an option now that I am broken.

before

soaking

blocking

I am calling it the Anemone Shawl, after the colorway of the Artesano 4ply Alpaca it is made from, plus it is a far prettier name, to me. I am thinking of putting tassels on each point. It was fabulously easy and soft to knit with, but it sheds a bit: my solution ? Just don't wear black while knitting with it.

Lots of lovely FOs from young, mobile, un-aching people over at Tami's Amis.

WIP Wednesday 51: Bobbing Along

2011-07-27T10:02:00.013+01:00

Even though I haven't won anything on anyone's giveaways - there's been quite a few recently, so I thought (hoped) a little something might come my way - I've kept going. Pretty much exclusively on Tracy's Shawl - it's so rewarding to see the progress, and as the number of stitches keep reducing, of course it's getting quicker to knit; I only have the last chart, and half of the penultimate chart to go, and then it's complete.

So that means I've done nothing but glance occasionally at the Candleflame Shawl - I don't feel guilt, as I have a long time until the deadline even begins to loom (Spring 2012).

And I had a lucky find ... I pick up old patterns regularly, from the charity shops. The biggest challenge with them is substituting the yarn (always discontinued). Not so much the gauge/tension, but the yardage - I have an unreasoning terror of not having enough yarn to complete a project, and realizing only when I need that one final skein ...and then discovering that it is totally out of stock everywhere.

I also have a dreadful memory. So in a little notebook (thanks, Mooncalf) that goes everywhere with me, I have a list of 4 or 5 projects, the kind of yarn I need for them, and how much of it I might need. Just in case.

They get ticked off and replaced with new ones as I work my way through them. I found a pattern that used Wendy Monaco, and lo and behold, while searching for dog treats in QD, I found Robin Picasso Chunky, 100g/150m, which is also for 6 1/2mm needles (a rough guide is the recommended needle size being the same). The pattern says 12 st x 17 rows, the yarn says 14 st x 20 rows.

At this time of day (or any other, actually) it is impossible for me to make the gargantuan mental effort necessary to do the maths for this comparison/conversion. So I bought 5 - or was it 6 - balls, and we'll see how it goes. A swatch, sez you ? Nary a chance of it, sez I. Where would be the mystery and excitement of the unknown in that ? Of course, if anyone feels like educating me with the likely mathematical results, go right ahead.

And the last thing I want to talk about today is the difference a small amount of time makes. here is a trough in mid-May:

And here it is now, end-July:

I am trying to summon up enough fortitude to go out there with the secateurs and cut back all the petunias. I have read that, if fed, they will retaliate with a fresh flush of flowers that will go through til the end of summer ....

Pop on over to Tami's Amis for a round-up of lovely WIPs.

FO Friday 44: Posterity

2011-07-22T10:56:00.010+01:00

Alright, yes, it is a tenuous link, I realize, but the school year is finally a FO ! Once I have collected Mini Diva from school today, the holidays will truly have commenced ! And I am really looking forward to it: all we need is some dry, sunny weather. Not quite so dry and hot as the USA, though, thanks.

Now for a real, proper FO, even though it isn't mine. I'm talking about it because it pertains to me a li'l bit, un poquito, ein bißchen, un peu .... it's this book, by Eskimimi:

What have I had to do with a Knitting Pocket Bible, asks you ? And well you might, sez I.

Actually, nothing. Nada. Nichts. Rien. Zip. I merely have a pattern named after me. See how understated I'm being about that ? Note the use of the word 'mere' to imply that I'm just so darned cool that this kind of event is an everyday, normal occurrence for me. Here it is:

It is the Vivianne Scarf, and it was named for me. Thank you, Mimi. And you know, I even like the color she knitted it in - it's called 'Blush'. How appropriate .... if only I weren't so cool .... or brazen.

You can buy it from Amazon.

Head on over to Tami's Amis for some lovely FOs, even though none of them feature me ....

WIP Wednesday 50: Stack 'Em High

2011-07-20T17:09:00.013+01:00

I can't believe it's almost a year of WIP Wednesdays already ! Thanks to Tami for hosting. The time is just whizzing by ! And end of term for Destructo Boy tomorrow, and Mini Diva on Friday: I can't wait.

My friend Ania was good enough to send me the chart for the Tree of Light shawl she suggested, as my printer wasn't working at the time ... here is my progress so far:

Yep, that's right - it's in a Time Out already. Five times so far, people. So I am sulking at it right now. And look at the size of the print on that chart ....

Instead I have started this:

It is Tracy's Shawl, a free pattern by Wendy D. Johnson, who has some beautiful patterns available. I am using 3 skeins of Artesano 100% Alpaca 4ply in the colorway 'Anemone'. I wonder why it's called that: it looks nothing like the colors of the flower, or the sea anemone. Anyway. I picked these up for a bargain price as they were on offer when I visited Wibbling Wools in Bury St.Edmunds recently.

The shop itself is tiny, with a comfy sofa and coffee table so you could sit and browse the posh pattern books that complement the standard posh yarns (Rowan, Debbie Bliss, Sublime). Yarns pretty much fill up every space - cubbyholes, baskets, boxes, corners .... The owner was having a long - long - conversation with a friend about the friend's childminder, her childcare issues over the summer, and how they'd been resolved. I know this because I was ignored until this conversation was over. We English are far too tolerant of this kind of behavior. It was a nice shop, but not worth the trip for me when I have Twist much closer.

OK, after that little digression into one of my pet peeves (poor customer service), here is the progress on the Candleflame Shawl:

I'm really liking the effect of the beads, although not the faff of the actuality of beading.

And I have picked up some lovely everyday Stylecraft for my youngest niece's Xmas sweater, for which I will use this old pattern I found in one of our local charity shops. Yes, I said the X-word in July ....

FO Friday 43: Willow Leaf Scarf

2011-07-15T10:47:00.005+01:00

A nice straightforward transformation post today. From this:

Over the course of 6 days, washing and blocking, to end up as this:

I still don't know what this yarn is, which is a shame, as it is lovely: soft, easy to knit with, and a total match for the project, which is a scarf modified from Linda Choo's Willow Leaf Stole.
I did only 4 horizontal border repeats, to make it narrower; I picked up 60 stitches for the body, and knitted 6 stitches at each end of every row; and only 3 horizontal main/body pattern repeats. Then I just knitted the pattern til I felt I had just enough yarn left for the final border.

I'm pleased with this project: mainly because the other project I was making with this pattern had well and truly stalled: a combination of me thinking it was a chore and difficult, as the pattern was quite bulky to read (I can use charts now) and the yarn not being really the right one for the project.

As usual, many beautiful things to marvel at over on Tami's Amis ...

WIP Wednesday: Shawls Galore

2011-07-13T14:44:00.007+01:00

I totally blew out Monday's blogpost - for some reason it slipped my mind entirely until it was way too late to actually do anything about it; and today I am struggling with a treacle-slow connection ... so we'll cross our fingers and hope for the best ...

Faithful readers, you'll remember the post where I asked for help deciding what to do with a WIP. I just went through all the comments again, and - by a tiny smidge - the vote was in favor of frogging. Lucky, really, because that's what I did. Actually, I coerced Mini Diva into frogging and rewinding for me. And how she loved it. Not.

I was immediately faced with another dilemma - moral, this time. The perfect pattern for this yarn, I am convinced is the Waves of Leaves shawl, which I have made before using perfect Malabrigo Lace. I've just searched, but apparently I didn't blog about the hassles I had with this pattern: the errors in the written pattern, which forced me to learn how to read a chart; and the poor charts, which need quite a bit of thought and/or explanation.

The moral dilemma was whether to use this pattern again, in spite of it being written so badly; yes, it's free, but I don't really see that as an excuse for inflicting mistakes on the unsuspecting knitter. I have started it, as you can see, but if anyone has any suggestions for a shawl pattern which will suit this silk yarn, I'm all ears .... I haven't got far, so can frog again easily enough.

The other WIP this week is the Candleflame shawl - I've had the yarn for ages (another beauty from Laura at Abstract Cat: BFL laceweight, colorway 'Fire Festival'); and after my saga of the beads, which I eventually obtained quickly and without any fuss from the lovely people at Highly Strung Beads, my first project with beads too. I think it is a perfect match of yarn to project. Or project to yarn. I usually find the yarn first, then the project follows ...

And - of course - there are oodles of other yummy blogs to read over at Tami's Amis .....

FO Friday 42: Sunday Scarf

2011-07-08T13:41:00.010+01:00

I am really liking the discipline and impetus that FO Friday (see more lovely things over at Tami's Amis) gives to me: as it's addictive, I rarely have trouble sitting down to get on with some knitting, but FO Friday means I tend to do just those few rows more, so things get completed in a timely manner.

You'll remember I started a scarf for Uber-Cool Brother; made from BFL sock yarn in the colorway 'Sunday' (lavender/grey/blue tones) bought from Laura at Abstract Cat, using the Flame Chevron stitch pattern; after fabric conditioner, it is much softer, and blocked out quite nicely. I thought it looked a little ... abbreviated ... so I added a fringe:

Just because I'm not talking about today being the 10th anniversary of my mother's death doesn't mean I'm not thinking about her all the time today.

WIP Wednesday 48: Mystery Yarn

2011-07-06T06:15:00.003+01:00

Back to the groove after Monday's grumping. I'm not a grumpy person, by and large, so it doesn't usually last long - that would take far too much energy to maintain.

I've scheduled this post as today it is Mini Diva's school sports day: think of me with compassion and sympathy as I traipse round each event trying to whip up some enthusiasm for Team Red; actually, the team songs they come up with can be quite funny.

So seeing as how I already had the pattern for the Willow Leaf Stole printed, that's what I cast on yesterday (with modifications I'll talk about another time), using a lovely mossy green yarn that I bought from Ewenique in her recent de-stash; she had lost the label, but thinks it is a Fleece Artist yarn, or possibly Handmaiden, light fingering weight 3 ply merino and cashmere, perhaps with some nylon. I think it may be Fleece Artist Cashlana, possibly colorway 'Rainforest' - but if anyone recognizes this yarn, please let me know.

And this WIP's results are back:

His blood tests show that he is allergic to grasses and mites (household & storage). Our vet recommends a course of immunotherapy which would set the insurance back approx. £400 ($645), and would eventually entail a mere single injection per month which we could administer ourselves {shudder from the needlephobe ie. me}. Alternatively, we can dose him daily with Piriton or another anti-histamine seasonally as necessary, with steroids for if/when the itching gets too bad.

We are being charitable and thinking that his previous family may not have known of his seasonal environmental allergies, as they - and therefore Sebastian - didn't have a lifestyle which involved being outoors in grassy, green, leafy areas like the parks and wild areas we go to.

And finally, part of my WIP today is the bargains I picked up recently, reduced in price simply because they were wilting through needing to be watered ...

A little apricot-flowered begonia 'Million Kisses', a ruby/chocolate-flowered regal pelargonium, and a magenta-flowered cottage pink 'Waterloo Sunset'; they should have cost £12 ($19) but actually cost £4.50 ($7.25). We luffs a deal.

Lots more yarny yumminess over at Tami's Amis ...

Grumpety Grumpy Grump

2011-07-04T19:48:00.007+01:00

So I spent some of today pretty much like this guy looks: grumpy. Grumpy with my bank - which I part own, along with the rest of the British population; and of which I have been a customer for over 25 years: I shall be closing my account with them as soon as I can gather enough ID together to open an account with a different bank.

Grumpy with my knitting: I have finished Uber-Cool Brother's scarf, spent an enjoyable time-sucking while surfing Ravelry looking for my next project; found it, then ran out of ink so I couldn't print it, and therefore couldn't start it. I have other things I want to do, but this was the one I wanted to do right now this minute. Of course.

Grumpy with the garden hose nozzle which is leaking like Henry's bucket.

Grumpy with the state of the planet, the economy, people in general.

I think the only thing I'm not grumpy with right now is the hot, sunny weather.

FO Friday 41: Normal Programming Resumed

2011-07-01T09:28:00.007+01:00

So after my ireful explosion last week, the focus this Friday is back to something pleasant and enjoyable - a finished object. You'd think I'd have more than one, and, actually, I do. Just not any photos, as I forgot to take pics of the cabled baby sweater before it was gifted.

The scarf for Uber-Cool Brother, which I was hoping to be at least blocking by today, is also not completed yet, as I frivolled yesterday away looking at fruit trees in garden centres with Belo, and an extra-long walk with the dog: who - I have discovered - likes eating fresh cherries.

So fortunately I have pics of the Lacy ZigZag Scarf I finished last week for one of DH's BILs. You'll remember it's made using RYC Classic Silk Wool DK in the colorway 'Brownstone'. And the hole is fixed too ....

And see the lovely color of my lavender; I've lost the label, so I forget exactly which one it is ...

Lots more completed loveliness over at Tami's Amis ....

WIP Wednesday 47: Hot in the City

2011-06-29T09:45:00.006+01:00

So we eventually got the promised thunderstorm ... not on Sunday night as forecast, but yesterday. Everything is cooler, brighter and fresher because of it; fortunately we had got home from school before the heavens opened, so we could fully enjoy it from the inside.

Outside, the big jasmine is in flower, and at times the scent is overpowering; amazing that such a small flower has such a disproportionately intense fragrance:

Yes, it was me actually took this arty-looking pic

The same applies to untrimmed privet, although that doesn't have the same cachet at all.

I only have one current WIP, using a yarn I bought especially from Laura over at Abstract Cat;
not the first - or the last - time I have shopped with her because of her fabulous colors and great customer service. It is 400m of British Blue-faced Leicester sockyarn (4ply) in the colorway 'Sunday':

This is being turned into a birthday scarf for Uber-Cool Brother; he's the kind of person who buys organic from farmer's markets, doesn't mow so as to maintain an insect-friendly environment, and cares whether his prosciutto has actually come from Italy, so it seems logical that he would appreciate hand-made.

So far, it looks like this:

It's the Flame Chevron stitch pattern, which will be revealed to perfection when this is blocked - hopefully in time for FO Friday ...

As usual, many beautiful things to ooh and aah over at Tami's Amis ...

Can't Trust That Day

2011-06-27T20:38:00.007+01:00

It's hot, hot, hot .... and I'm loving it. Kind folks call me a lizard, unkind folks call me a reptile.

Today I did 5 loads of washing, and a bit of knitting, as I was enjoying basking. Basking and housework are not natural mates, so I had to choose which to prioritize ... easy, especially since this was a large part of my view:

After I'd collected the kids from school, they put their swimsuits on and played on the patio with the hose. They had two instructions only:

1) water the tubs, pots and troughs

2) do not wet the almost-dry washing

Apparently, they couldn't manage either of these simple tasks. Having been sent to his room, Destructo Boy appeared at Mini Diva's window. Actual conversation:

Me: Let's practice some thinking, shall we ? Tell me the two good reasons why you must not get on the radiator and lean out of Mini Diva's window.

Destructo Boy: Because I knocked over all the pots of plants ?

Me: OK. There's three reasons then, give me the other two .....

Minus: Destructo Boy forgot his hat and his lunchbox at school.

Minus: Mini Diva forgot her lunchbox at school.

Minus: Mini Diva has a verruca.

Minus: Mini Diva has lost her bike lock.

Minus: Jewel the cat was sick - again; a rescue cat, too often she hoovers down her food without chewing, resulting in it coming right back up again 5 minutes later.

Plus: the dog ate the cat sick, so I had nothing to wipe up.

Danger, Will Robinson !

2011-06-24T11:16:00.006+01:00

Well, do you know, this morning I expected to be posting my usual FO Friday, with a couple of pics of the projects I've completed this week, and to be nattering on in that kind of vein.

But even after the events of the last few days, I had to think long and hard about whether I wanted to drag out that battered old soap-box: did I want to - yet again - invest my time and energy into the malicious black hole that is Marcus Katz ?

I found that his behavior offends me so much that I still cannot sit idle and quiet and watch it all happen without comment. It appears from the post on the WE Tarot blo g that Katz is still practicing his inconsistent and unexplained membership policy, vetting applicants on who-knows-what kind of criteria; no-one knows because he does not condescend to inform them.

Far more importantly, and much more sadly, it is a real shame - and almost unbelieveable - to see one of the tarot world's leaders, being unable to apply any critical thinking, or even basic questioning, to this matter. Mary Greer's comments on the WE Tarot blog claim she is neutral and uninvolved as regards Tarot Professionals and their aggressive actions and behavior.

Yet, not only is she some kind of board member of theirs, she posts an 'interview' with Katz on her blog today that asks no questions - of any kind - but simply gives him further opportunities to promote his various money-making enterprises. She is either incredibly naive, or a liar: how can she be neutral or disinterested, with these ties ? She certainly lacks an ability to step back and examine whether the criticisms made of Katz hold any water, and therefore also presumably is unable to see how her own behavior is very detrimental to her reputation.

I believe it is more than time that this whole sorry mess was aired and discussed, that people stood up for themselves and refuse to be intimidated any longer by the secret personal phone calls and threats .

And those who are regarded as leaders in the tarot community owe it to that community to shed some light into these dark corners; it is simply not good enough to try to excuse yourselves by claiming you don't want to get involved in the 'politics' of it all. You have a responsibility to those who look to you for an example, by virtue of your positions as arbiters and experts. After all, if you continue to stick your head in the sand, don't be surprised when your undefended butt gets kicked.

WIP Wednesday 46: Ack ! Oh Noes !

2011-06-22T14:43:00.010+01:00

So one of DH's BIL's has a birthday this week. I remember in time to knit a rather lovely scarf over a mere 3 days, using RYC Classic Silk Wool DK in the 'Brownstone' colorway; I even find what I think is a really nice stitch pattern - a Lacy ZigZag. I cast off, and the next morning I wash and block it.

I am pleased. It is a nice yarn - smooth, soft, and easy to knit with. The pattern is masculine. The color will suit him (DH chose it). I am in time to get it blocked, wrapped and posted before the weekend.

Go me, sez I. Let's take a photo for Wednesday - it counts as a WIP because I'm in the blocking stage, so it isn't technically completed yet.

Here's the photo:

Do you see what I see ?

No ?

Let me zoom in for you:

And just to reinforce that, zoom again:

Somehow, a stitch has broken. I shall fix it when the scarf is dry. Wednesdays are full of woe ...

But the lovely people over at Tami's Amis will have better news for you ....

Misery, Thy Name is Sebastian

2011-06-20T10:36:00.009+01:00

So DH kindly went and picked up the rest of the stuff I needed for the dog from the vet - including the medicated shampoo for the yeast skin infection. That's where his helpfulness ended, however, as he said he didn't want to get wet.

From our one previous experience of bathing the dog, it needed DH, me and three children to hold and wash him on the patio, with everyone getting soaked through in the process. With just me and two kids, there was no way we would be able to hold Sebastian in one place.

DH objected to me putting Sebastian in the bathtub, as he might scratch it. So Mini Diva and I used a mix of coercion, and bribery with his favorite treats, to allow me to manhandle the poor animal into the shower. Once in, he was relatively easy to keep there as it's a corner shower with one door, and the only way out was past me. Plenty of warm water and bubbles later, he was clean and smelling faintly clinical, rather than the overwhelmingly 'doggy' smell that is apparently a typical symptom of a yeasty skin infection. His coat also feels much nicer to the touch, not greasy and sticky.

The dog got washed, and the only other person who got soaked was me. Another plus is that we have extended our knowledge of Sebastian's temperament: if he was going to bite when stressed, this would have been one of those occasions.

WIP Wednesday 45: Mangy Cur

2011-06-15T10:58:00.008+01:00

So Monday ambushed me this morning: the dog wet his bed, Jewel the cat was sick, and Destructo Boy spilled his juice over the floor. As if this wasn't enough, my MIL came for a visit, walked through the door, took one look at the dog and said ''Oh, look- fox-mange''.

I Googled it and discovered that fox-mange is sarcoptic mange. Sarcoptic mange is scabies. I freaked when I read that bit, because scabies is also a human affliction - I know because I had it as a young child, picked up from school. As a result, to this day I have an OCD fetish about not ever. ever. ever sharing towels.

Giving up my idea that he had a food allergy (he's been on a gluten-free diet for 3 weeks now) I called the vet for an appointment tootsweet. £180 ($295USD) later, blood has been taken for tests, steroid tablets prescribed for the itching, a drug called Stronghold on the offchance that it's mange, antibiotics for any secondary bacterial infection of the skin, and a medicated shampoo for the yeast skin infection on his skin ... shampoo for the 36kg/80lb. dog who is afraid of water.

The vet didn't do a skin scrape for mange because he thinks it's an environmental allergy; perhaps the blood test will tell us exactly what to, but he thinks it's more likely it will come back as a generic allergy, for which Sebastian will need a £500/$820USD course of initial treatment which is not a cure, but will control the symptoms; then he will have to take this drug for the rest of his life. He is insured, but even so .... I kind of wish it had been mange: at least you know what you're dealing with, and it's straightforward to treat.

So rather than throw the dog's mangy carcass off the nearest bridge with my gin-sodden one, let's distract ourselves with a little more baby knitting - the last item for my neighbor's Bump. It will be a cabled sweater ...

I'm sure the good people over at Tami's Amis will be far more cheerful than me today ....