TABI 10th Anniversary Conference 2015: Summary

Spiral Tarot

Well ! I had NO idea that so much time had passed so quickly and that I have been silent for over 4 weeks; I am so sorry, my dear friends - you'll find the tissues to dry your tears right over there.

I had got sucked into the vortex that is the end of term, feeling like a visitor in my own home as I spent so much time away from it at various school events - two separate sports days, a 'Wimbledon' and other stuff that I've already forgotten; then weekends currently tend to be full of child/cricket club-related activities; and then I lacked inspiration, and thought that perhaps the knitting project posts were all a bit samey and clinical; and then of course I have actually been away !

As in, got on a train and went somewhere !

I know ! It felt odd to me too, I have become such a sad homebody who uses too many exclamation marks, it seems !

But I went to TABI's 10th Anniversary Conference, held at the Aston Conference Centre; superbly organized by my Good Twin Alison Cross and the Treasurer Caroline Blackler, all I had to do was eat, drink, socialize and take photos - I was quite open that I wasn't there for the educational aspects, although some of it seeped in despite my best intentions: Alison's own talk on how to use elemental dignities to aid interpretation of reversed Court cards, Jane Struthers' very useful talk and spreads on relationship readings; and my friend Andy Boroveshengra's introduction to reading Lenormand, which I am convinced made it appear deceptively simple, but is actually just the mere tip of the iceberg. Caitlin Matthews' sung blessing at the beginning of her talk added an unexpected New Age touch to the Conference, and ensured everyone was awake ...

I came away with quite the swag bundle, as you can see:

A custom souvenir tarot bag from AniaM:

 And lastly - and which connects my tarot to my knitting - the thoughtful thank you gift I received for doing nothing:

A gorgeous yarn bowl from the Stone Penguin Pottery.

But the best part of the whole weekend was making so many new friends, and meeting up with old ones:

The Good, The Eviller and The Evil Twins

 

WIP Wednesday 209: Adding to the List

Housewives Tarot

I'm up to date with the SusannaIC MKAL and I have finished the Blue Dahlia aka the Shawl from Hell; I still have one Checkerboard Mitt left to do, I also have the Madaket Cardigan on my needles but am not feeling the love for beige ..... time to cast on something entirely different, don't you think ?

No ? Have some self-discipline and finish something I've started even though it's turning into Cod Liver Oil knitting just as if I was an adult ?

Too late. Here it is so far:

It's small, cute and hopefully a quick knit - I await some eyelash yarn which will be needed too. Yes, I felt that, the tremors of horror and trepidation at the mention on any kind of novelty yarn - but trust me, it'll be fine .....

You'll find lots of other projects on the go over at Tami's Amis ....

Wednesday's Child

... is full of woe. But that's not me, OK, because I've had it with moping around aimlessly. The amitriptyline made me feel sludgy and half-asleep all the time, but did not prevent waking in the night: I ought to have asked the doctor why a sedative instead of a sleeping tablet, but by the end of my appointment I was too weary to argue. So I've had it with that too, and kicked my own (ever-expanding) butt instead.

The doctor's great idea for dealing with my weight gain, by the way, was to exercise/join a gym and change my diet. This was without asking me anything about my lifestyle first, so I just looked at her with my mouth agape, since my diet is pretty healthy (very little fried or fatty food, lots of salads, little meat, no chocolate, few sweeties or cakes) and hasn't changed, and also because I get at least 1 hour of brisk walking 5 days out of 7.

Instead I've had a really productive couple of days ...I listed two new soaps on Misi - but not Folksy, because the listing facility seems to be broken, along with their technical support - and they are lovely, even if I say so myself.

Since asses' milk is proving somewhat challenging to source these days, I used goatsmilk as the liquid in this fabulously rich and creamy soap, named Cleopatra's Delight; shea butter, cocoa butter, a generous helping of calendula petals into the mix, and a fragrance that Cleo herself would have considered decadent - and her due - a combination of musky myrrh, rose, jasmine, and patchouli, and the result is a lightly textured soap with a really luxurious lather and scent.




Also cured and ready to go is my new Caramel Kiss soap: made with the usual lashings of shea butter and cocoa butter, with honey and Maple Syrup added to enrich and provide 'background' for the rich, fudgy, caramel fragrance, Mini Diva has decided it is her new favorite. Smells like sweeties, but none of the calories ...



And in the spirit of embracing new things, I am experimenting with a Facebook storefront that is linked to my business page; here I will have a slightly different offer than in my Folksy or Misi shops .... click the 'like' button and see what difference it makes ....