Old Year's Night 2014

Labyrinth Tarot

Wildwood Tarot

Taslimur Tarot

Well, I am glad to see the back of this year; my sister Halcyon dying in July, my Uncle in November, and so many of my favorite famous people too, it has just seemed like a year of death. And of course the Yule holiday season never passes without at least one disaster, and this year we have more than one: the loss of the AirAsia plane, the Italian ferry disaster, and some smaller scale events that are just as tragic - the Australian children, the Edmonton family.

Quite frankly, I am sick of it.

I passionately hope your year has been better than mine, and that we all have a much better year next year.

The Interim Lull

Whimsical Tarot

Well, have we snoozed for long enough ? Or shall I tuck you back in under a snuggly blankey and we'll roll over and snore some more ? Winter, cold temperatures and having the family all home just exacerbate my hermit tendencies, I'm afraid. And because Titch has been home, I am using him as the excuse for not posting - I can ignore the kids with no problems, but he takes up too much space for that.

We had an organized (read: calm and peaceful) Christmas: the kids got what they'd asked for, we visited both my sister's family and Titch's family, we hosted Belo and Uber Cool Brother for Xmas lunch. We have played charades and Scrabble (which Destructo Boy doesn't like as ''I'm so crap at this even Dad is beating me'').

My Twins seem to have a Christmas during which much cookerly experimentation was successful - I am happy to reassure you that the Eviller Twin was far less Blumenthal this year, but the Good Twin continues to espouse Ottolenghi and the consequent need for bathroom extractor fans - and they liked their gifts (always a bonus). 

Hello Kitty Tarot

 I can't tell you how much of a warm support and embracing retreat they have been for me this year, always there to provide emotional and mental support, on top of everything else. I did call them and try to tell them, but I didn't haz no words to convey my gratitude.

It's OK, don't run away, come back - that's it for the overly gushy warm and fuzzy emotional ick for now, I promise.

Whimsical Tarot

Over the next few days I shall be pondering my goals for next year - some seem to be rising to the top of the queue - for example, conquering the rigid and sweaty anxiety attacks caused being in any car doing more than 20 mph. But then again, how badly to I need to get anywhere that's far enough away to require a car trip ? Online grocery shopping has never been so welcome. 

Hudes Tarot

However, I'm not sure I'm ready yet to drop the reclusive hermit-ness I have been practicing in RL - I am still burned out on people, generally speaking. I have one big main Plan for crafting/knitting next year, which I will, of course, be telling you all about at a later date. Do you feel enticed ? 

I am even feeling like I must pull out all the Stash and sort it out properly - it has got a bit mixed up what with sneaky additions and hiding Xmas presents, but I think that must wait til Titch has gone back to work - he already doesn't believe me when I say I want to make X, or Y, but that I haven't got the right yarn for it and so must buy more. If he saw what was actually there, I would have no chance at all ....

Have you got Plans for next year, knitting and/or personal ?

SAL Wednesday : Intervention

Tarot of the Magical Forest

I have been absent because I have been feeling very low and dejected, owing to a combination of circumstances - not least of which was completing Mini Diva's Wilde cardigan and being quite unhappy with the result. I might be brave (or resigned) enough to post about it on Friday.

My MIL is our Secret Santa recipient this year, and I determined to make her a gorgeous cardigan. After overcoming such obstacles as picking the color (I took advice from two of my SILs, so I have others to blame if it is wrong) and measurements (again, a devious SIL achieved this - you may admire and envy my foresight, see previous brackets), spending hours searching for exactly the right yarn in terms of weight, color etc to find it and then discover JUST before I clicked the 'buy' button - thank the gods - that it was handwash only .... as I say, all this was overcome, and I selected 9 balls of Sirdar Wool Rich Aran in 'Powder Blue' at what I thought was a really reasonable cost of £43.

So, given the (reasonable yet expensive-for-me) cost of the yarn and for whom it is destined, I spared no effort, and did this:

No, it's OK, I'll wait while you pick your jaw up from the floor.

Yes, it's another swatch. The third in as many months, at least. 

Is it a sign that I am irrevocably doomed to a sensible and unexciting future of being an Engineer rather than an Artiste ? 

Might there be hope for me yet to go back to those freewheeling days of yore when I cared not a snap of my fingers for gauge, where I revelled in the thrill of living right on the Raggedy Edge, when we did not know if something would fit until it was actually Put On.

Oh yes - the swatch results: I got 19 st x 24 rows on 4.5mm needles when the pattern requires 18 st x 28 rows.

What do you mean, did I do another one on different size needles ? 

Are you CRAZY ? 

I'm too busy swigging gin and waiting for you to do an Intervention.





Pop over to Gracey's, to see what else is going on in the mad dash to Christmas .....

Friday Finishes 4: Underwater Cables

Fantastic Menagerie Tarot

Well, I've been twiddling my thumbs a bit aimlessly this week - I've completed Mini Diva's Wilde, except for the buttons - I couldn't find any I liked in the right size, so I blew caution (and cash) to the wind and have ordered a custom set.

I couldn't start the next item on my Xmas gift list as I was waiting for the yarn to be delivered.

So I was really looking for something that was quick and simple to occupy myself in the inbetween times. But I didn't have anything that fitted the bill in my Queue - apart from some fingerless mitts, and I just didn't want to make them: I can knit magic loop, but I don't enjoy it, especially the start.

So I took some yarn my sister had decluttered to me, and a new hot water bottle, and 2 days later we have this:

I'm not entirely sure what the yarn is - it arrived as something that had been knitted in the round but at some point had got unintentionally Moebiussed; during her most recent visit, my MIL had ravelled it all back into a ball for me, so it was once again usable. Anyway. I think it is James C.Brett Marble Chunky MC8 - my sister rarely used anything lighter in weight than a chunky.  

I surfed the stitch patterns over at the marvellous resource that is the Knitting Fool until I found one I liked, cast on using 5.5mm needles ....and hey presto - a completed Xmas gift. Now, while you go check out other lovely things at Chris Knits, I need to go get started on my MIL's Xmas gift, a cabled cardigan - which as you can see means I have no more time to fritter away with you here, much as you know I love you.

FF 3: Christmas Santa Tea Cosy

Prairie Tarot

So remember my recent paranoia ? Well, no need for it any more - the project is completed, and thanks to my Eviller Twin has been turned into a PDF and watermarked and fingerprinted and biometriced and all kinds of things. Well, OK, not biometriced and probably not fingerprinted  ... but you get the idea.

Over in my Folksy shop you will find two marvellous seasonal tea cosies if you want to buy one ready-made - if they are sold out, commission me to make you one. 

Also the pattern is there, if you want to make one yourself and of course is available through my Ravelry store as well. 

Yes, see it and weep with gratitude - that is TWO types of novelty yarn, snowflake and eyelash, so this pattern will help you to use up those odds and ends in the Stash-That-Must-Not-Be-Mentioned ie. the stuff we bought when we were tripping drunk knitting noobs uninfected with yarn snobbery.

I'm proud of this idea and how I turned it into actuality, but I have to tell you that being a slave to tea cosy creation is no walk in the park - already I have 2 more ideas bouncing around which will most likely wait til after Xmas now ....

While I recover from the exhaustion gulping air like a drowning frog, pop over to Chrisknits for more Friday Finishes .....

Wednesday's Child ....

Ansata Tarot

.... is full of woe. And I mean overflowing with rageful woe.

I was all prepared to give you a little contented chuntery post today, but instead my whole day has been completely derailed, as in, a complete train-wreck, by this:

It switches on, but the touchscreen is of course obviously useless. 

Yes, you're right, it isn't as bad as ... say  ... losing your internet. But I am in no mood for your words of comfort and mitigation, I am the mardiest thing that was ever mardy.

Friday Finishes 2: Sweet Dreams

Shadowscapes Tarot

I am afraid this is only a little post today - TABI's AGM is coming up soon (I am currently co-Chair), and we are discussing the future path of our Ezine, as well as all the other reports from the various areas of the organization; added to this, I am collecting three 9-year old boys from school, herding them home, feeding them, and making sure they are ready to go to their school disco on time. After the disco, I predict late-night mayhem, as Destructo Boy's friends are also staying for a sleepover.

What's that ? 

Have a little nip of gin ? 

Two, you say ?

Why, yes, yes, I believe I will, thank you.

Meanwhile, this is Sweet Dreams, a Boo Knits pattern; made with Artesano 4ply Alpaca in the colorway 'Sweetpea' and using lots and lots of size 6/0 rainbow translucent beads. 

The pattern is fairly straight-forward as long as you remember to check things like if the stitch-markers move, or else you will have to tink back. Oh yes, that's how I know.

If you squint for a while, you can see the beads. Whatever I did, I could not get a photo that really showed them up.

To see things that do not require squinting, head over to my friend Chris' blog, where she is hosting 'Friday Finishes' which is replacing the old 'FO Friday' ....