recipe for a perfect Friday

Take one spouse. Saunter across Sheeps Green (or is it Coe Fen)*? en route

for a tasty treat. Then wander back across the fen
and head for another treat!

Return home and spend weekend enjoying the treasures inside the yellow paper bag**...

* never have worked out which is which. I'm pretty convinced that the bit between the two mill ponds (the one near the Grad Pad and the one near the Granta) is Sheep's Green, but Graham always calls it Coe Fen, which I think is the strip of land behind the Fitzwilliam. Anyone willing to be ref?

** note crumpled appearance of bag, our cat fell in love with Edward Bawden's cat logo, and sat on the bag all evening!

Demo!

I spent a happy lunchtime yesterday in a sandwich bar that looks out over Christ's College and the rather Baroque LLoyds Bank building in Cambridge town centre. And as I sat there, alternating smoked salmon sandwich with crocheting (keeping my fingers very clean, of course!), I saw a banner come into view, followed by smaller banners ("say not to fees") and little flags ("socialist students"). It was a very small demo, with about 25 students in all (actually, the count was 23 students and a big issue seller, plus dog) but they were followed by two policemen, which made it look much more impressive, and provoked the following exchange between the two young men sitting behind me:

"Do you think those policmen are policing the march, or have they joined in? Maybe they got a taste for it during their wages protest last month?"
"I don't know, but they've swelled the marchers numbers by about 10%"

It all looked so tame, especially compared to 40 years ago!

places where I'd love to sit and knit (number one in an occasional series)

Well, I should be busily sewing brooch backs onto corsages and adding price labels to scarves but instead I've been daydreaming about the places where, if time and money were no object, I would love to sit and knit.

And tonight I'm imagining myself (in high summer) at Dunster Yarn Market. In fact, I'm imagining re-establishing a yarn market at Dunster Yarn Market: a one-day festival where we could all sit and knit, spin, crochet and trade yarns and equipment. Since this is on the fringes of Exmoor, there must be a bunkhouse where we could stay, and we could arrive in style via the West Somerset steam railway...

It must be 23 years since I last went to Dunster and I have vivid memories of a sign by a car park warning people about a wasp/bee nest in the roots of a tree. It had been left there for the badgers who used to come and feast (but I've forgotten whether they would dine on the bees or on honey). But I digress!

Where would you like to sit and knit, and why?

could this be the dawn of a new trend?

Well, after last night's confession to you about the joys of travelling on the bus with my towel rail, can you imagine my shock (and mirth) when I spotted this on the luggage rack of the C6 Cambridge-Oakington bus this evening:

Yes, that is indeed a clothes airer on top of a laundry basket. (Honest. Sorry about the picture quality but I wasn't brave enough to snap this as I walked past it, and had to use the zoom lens from the back of the bus. )

And the camera simply had to come out again when I got off the bus. Same view as last night, but about 20 minutes later. What a sky!
And I think you can just about make out the rolling mist in this one.
When I got home I spotted the first fallen bird egg of the year...spring is coming. And here's more proof, the frist of this year's grape hyacinths, captured in our front garden this morning.

have towel rail, will travel

It may not quite be the silliest thing I've ever had to take onto a bus (that would be the brand new standard lamp and lampshade combo, where maybe I didn't do myself any favours by wearing the shade as a hat)but I have to say there are few things more likely to get you stared at than carting a towel rail about with you. Now, let me point out that this isn't a common or garden towel rail. No, Mr Caught Knitting would have me believe that it is a family heirloom. Apparently, it is well over 70 years old, used to be bright blue and have plaster of paris mouldings on it. "Actually, it was a very ugly blue, the sort of colour that public lavatories used to be, so it wasn't really a bright blue, it was an ugly blue.*" But here it is in its present incarnation, posing (on Friday) against the elegant backdrop of Stop J, Emmanuel Street, Cambridge.

We (that is to say, the towel rail and I) were en route to Cottenham for this year's Textiles in Focus event, as Liz had invited me to sell some of my wares alongside her fabulous yarns, bags, scarves and patterns. Sue (who is, alas, blogless) was also there, with her fabulous "Captain Jack Sparrow Scarf" --red, greys and soft plum, interspersed with glass and wooden beads, trimmed with wild curly tails--which I forgot to photograph, grr. In fact, having immortalised the towel rail, I promptly forgot that I had a camera with me. Which is a scandal, as Liz's stall looked incredibly inviting, as did Gill's Woolly Workshop (which was next to it) and 21st Century Yarns' booth (opposite it). We had a wonderful time: the towel rail sat very nicely on top of the stall, displaying scarves for all to see, and I sat behind the stall, knitting, crocheting and selling things to people and answering a stream of enquiries about how I'd made the scarves/pots etc. Oddly, I also spent some time buying things: I'm hoping that this Wednesday will be sunny enough for you to get pictures of my loot.

Today, of course, would have been perfect for photographing my swag, but I had to go to work. I was given a lift though, which meant that I got to cross The Backs, where I captured this icy scene as I walked towards Trinity Bridge:

Finally, if you've read yesterday evening's post about last Sunday's glorious sunset, here's the difference a week makes: same sky, same place, same time of day, one week closer to summer...

*Aha, it seems that all those audio typing lessons I took many moons ago were not worthless, after all. I can now capture Mr CK, famous literature lecturer, verbatim!

shepherd's delight

It has been a busy week in the Caught Knitting Household. Here's just a taste of what's been afoot. Saturday 16th saw Graham having a cataract op, whilst I was teaching modular knitting to some of the East Herts & West Essex Weavers, Spinners and Dyers. Graham's op seems to have been very successful: I wish I could capture the joy in his voice and the glee written all over his face when he took the dressing off on Sunday and announced, excitedly, that he could see in 3D!

I'd been a bit nervous about the teaching, as next month the group have Kaffe Fassett giving them a lecture. But they turned out to be one of the friendliest groups that I've ever met and produced lots of colourful log cabin squares, mitered squares and a few shells, too.

The squares in the lower left-hand corner had been dyed at one of their previous workshops, using cow parsely and broad bean, amongst other materials, some mordanted with copper, some with tin. I adore the colours and can see that I'll have to track down a similar workshop.

Sunday found me back at work, but at least I work in a shop with a huge window, so I was able to soak up some of that superb sunshine. And when I saw the deep crimson sunset whilst on my way home, I knew we were in for more good weather! After all:

Red sky at night,
Shepherd's delight.

Red sky at morning,
Shepherd's warning

(traditional)

A few paces later, I realised that the local sparrowhawk had been visiting:
and I think that poor, deceased, pigeon must have been in the back of my mind when I selected yarns for this scarf:

which, much as I love it, appears to have a certain hint of shredded peacock about it... This week also saw the beginning of 2008's corsage mountain. Here are the first few brooches surrounding some of the twirly scarves I made in January. (I love the way the green ones can double-up as artificial cabbages).

Sorry about the quality of the photos, particularly the indoor ones. Needless to say, the one day I spent at home this week was the one day when the fog didn't lift all day!

On Leaping Over the Moon

Did anyone else see the moon this evening? I could scarcely take my eyes off it on my journey home: the most slender sickle of shimmering light, but with the full disc faintly visible behind it. Technically, this is a waxing crescent (4% of full) but I'd say that it is magic! And it reminded me of one of my favourite poems: "On Leaping over the Moon", by Thomas Traherne (1637-1674)

I saw new Worlds beneath the Water lie,
New People; yea, another Sky
And sun, which seen by Day
Might things more clear display.
Just such another
Of late my Brother
Did in his Travel see, and saw by Night,
A much more strange and wondrous Sight:
Nor could the World exhibit such another,
So great a Sight, but in a Brother.


Adventure strange! No such in Story we,
New or old, true or feigned, see.
On Earth he seem’d to move
Yet Heaven went above;
Up in the Skies
His body flies
In open, visible, yet Magic, sort:
As he along the Way did sport,
Over the Flood he takes his nimble Course
Without the help of feigned Horse.


As he went tripping o’er the King’s high-way,
A little pearly river lay
O’er which, without a wing
Or Oar, he dar’d to swim,
Swim through the air
On body fair;
He would not use or trust Icarian wings
Lest they should prove deceitful things;
For had he fall’n, it had been wondrous high,
Not from, but from above, the sky:


He might have dropt through that thin element
Into a fathomless descent;
Unto the nether sky
That did beneath him lie,
And there might tell
What wonders dwell
On eath above. Yet doth he briskly run,
And bold the danger overcome;
Who, as he leapt, with joy related soon
How happy he o’er-leapt the Moon.


What wondrous things upon the Earth are done
Beneath, and yet above the sun?
Deeds all appear again
In higher spheres; remain
In clouds as yet:
But there they get
Another light, and in another way
Themselves to us above display.
The skies themselves this earthly globe surround;
W’are even here within them found.


On heav’nly ground within the skies we walk,
And in this middle centre talk:
Did we but wisely move,
On earth in heav’n above,
Then soon should we
Exalted be
Above the sky: from whence whoever falls,
Through the long dismal precipice,
Sinks to the deep abyss where Satan crawls
Where horrid Death and Despair lies.


As much as others thought themselves to lie
Beneath the moon, so much more high
Himself and thought to fly
Above the skarry sky,
As that he spied
Below the tide.
Thus did he yield me in the shady night
A wonsdrous and instructive light,
Which taught me that under our feet there is
As o’er our heads, a place of bliss.




To the same purpose; he, not long before
Brought home from nurse, going to the door
To do some little thing
He must not do within,
With wonder cries,
As in the skies
He saw the moon, "O yonder is the moon
Newly come after me to town,
That shin’d at Lugwardin but yesternight,
Where I enjoy’d the self-same light."


As if it had ev’n twenty thousand faces,
It shined at once in many places;
To all the earth so wide
God doth the stars divide
With so much art
The moon impart,
They serve us all; serve wholly ev’ry one
As if they served him alone.
While every single person hath such store,
’Tis want of sense that makes us poor.

Esmeralda's Flopsies

I had to smile when browsing through the small ads in a knitting mag today: one of the shops is called "Withit Witch". Is it me, or does that name sound incredibly 60s/70s-ish?

It reminds me of some of the names of local boutiques in the 70s. Bear in mind that I grew up in a sleepy market town (King's Lynn) on the edge of the Fens, so excitement was HUGE when boutiques (as opposed to Richards, Dorothy Perkins and Etam) opened. First came Emma's, which doesn't sound like a very novel name. But soon it was joined by a shop for men, called "Emma's Mate". I loved that, especially as the word "mate" carried slightly rude overtones (ooh, they're mating...").

This was quickly rivalled by "Man's World", memorable only for the truly hideous men they had in their cinema ad. Meanwhile, I saved up all my wages (25p/hour as Saturday girl in Cale's hairdresser) to spend either in Bayes Recordium or in Doves, which had wonderful smocks and dresses with leg-o-mutton sleeves and corduroy skirts, all printed with art nouveau-inspired florals, or medieval-looking beasties. Doves seems such a "love and peace" name, but actually came from the location of their other branch: Dove Street in Norwich.

But best of all was, "Esmeralda's Flopsies". I never did go in (perhaps put off by my mother's scathing comment: "who on earth wants to dress in a flopsy?") but, oh, what a name.

Sometimes I daydream about running my own retail business. The ideas always seem to be influenced by punning names. First (and we're talking 1982 here) came the idea for a mobile wholefood shop (which would tour the back lanes of rural Norfolk), to be called "Rosy Future": the promise of good health for all who purchased from it and my name--albeit spelt slightly differently--to satisfy my ego. Can you see the fatal flaw in this plan: just how many homes are there in rural Norfolk where the inhabitants are at home all day and don't have access to the wholefood shops or delicatessens of Diss/Sheringham/Burnham Market? (This last must be the second homes capital of the UK!) More recent ideas have included an upmarket fairtrade/organic/ethical brands gift/booze/fashion store to be called "Ethics Girls." Say it aloud, see if it doesn't remind you of an alleged tribe of white-sandal wearing permatanned women who dance around their handbags. The trouble is, I suspect that the name might repel the wealthier among the Cambridge undergrads, who would have been my target market.

But the sad truth is that retail space in Cambridge is incredibly expensive. The city that bred Andy's Records (motto: "purveyor of fine music at cheapo prices") is now in grave danger of becoming a clone town*. And with the imminent opening of The Grand Arcade--my idea of a nightmare: a roofed in expanse of wall-upon-wall of so-called "exclusive" brands ie retail chains with aggresive marketing, designer logos and big price labels, --I'm beginning to wonder how smaller, independant shops can survive unless they, too, target the luxury (more money than sense) market. (I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry at a quote on the arcade's website: "Grand Arcade is not just an exciting and modern addition to the Cambridge retail offer, but fundamentally transforms and reinvigorates it.")

So, for now at least, I'm delighting in the punning name of our local yarn shop ("Sew Creative" is, well, so creative!) and I'm longing for the innovative and innocent days of Esmeralda's Flopsies!


*King's Lynn has turned into a bargain-hunters paradise, surely there are more pound stores per square kilometer than anywhere else in the world?)

ps I have a plethora of FOs (albeit mainly crocheted twirly scarves) that I must photgraph...

suitable for the virgin?

Here's my latest treasure from the local Oxfam shop. First, let me explain that Liz has been recommending Zola's novels to me for quite some time and I've finally caved in, after Karen posted rave reviews of The Paradise of Ladies aka Au Bonheur des Dames(which I bought on Thursday and drank in enormous gulps, leaving me bereft when I finished!) so imagine how great my glee was when I spotted this today:

At first I hesitated a little, as the plates of "8 illustrations by George Jeannoit" have been cut out by a vandal at some stage in the book's history, and someone has spilt coffee/tea over it in 2 different places! It is, mind you 108 years since it was printed, and I'm sure I'll have had rather more misadventures should I reach that age... I also love the floral motifs on the cover, which look rather like sprigged muslin given a Japanese spin.

And then I read this irresistable announcement:
M. Zola has sought in this charming story to prove to the world that he too can write for the virgin, and that he can paint the better side of human nature in colours as tender and true as those employed by any of his contemporaries. ... It is a beautiful story, admirably told." (The quotation comes from a publication called, simplySpeaker). Sold!

I've only had time to read a few pages (and those, believe me, are packed with virgins:one little waif and no fewer than 7 virgin martyrs) but I'm utterly hooked!

I got so immersed in The Paradise of Ladies, that I totally forgot about this year's silent poetry reading for St Bridget's Day, which took place yesterday. Today, however, is the feast of St Blaise, "[who] was widely popular in Britain from the eighth century to beyond the Middle Ages" (see Roud, Steve, The English Year, Penguin 2006, p41) and he rates a mention here at Caught Knitting because in England he was:

adopted as the patron saint of woolcombers -- and important ans widespread occupation before machinery wiped it out. Every year on or around his feast day, the woolcombers organized a trade procession, which eveni in small towns was an impressive event, and in larger centres of the wool industry these processions became truly spectacular affairs. (Roud, ibid)

Well, I've not been together enough to organise a revival of the traditon this year (and no doubt my beloved--he who goes to church several times each week-- would point out that there might be something rather strange in a pagan like me organising a revival of a saint's day, but we'll gloss over that...). But here's a picture of some of this week's woolwinding (which is close as I've got to woolcombing):Don't you love my vintage metal woolwinder, which belonged to my grandmother before I inherited it? (Fortunately I can't remember which of my KTog friends told me that it looked like something that had fallen off Sputnik!)

Delightedly Foxed

Every Thursday, regular as clockwork, The TLS (Graham's favourite literary journal) flops through the letterbox. This week, I was delighted to find that it contained a flyer advertising Slightly Foxed, which is a far more important publication as it is my favourite literary journal. (Note impartial and scholarly flair of my adjudication. Not). But how's this for an advertising leaflet?

As I sat clapping my hands with glee at the thought of the treat in store (seriously, this journal is a real treat); it struck me that I'd seen this painting somewhere else (though, maybe, sans lupine passenger, and with a white horse--rather than a white fox-- in the background...)


Aha! Here it is:
Eric Ravilious, Train Landscape (1939)
(available as a greetings card, see here), but also available as a full page illustration in this book (see p63) which I am currently re-reading for at least the fifth time. The most recent issue of Persephone Books' Biannually had Russell Sidney Reeves' The Felixstowe to Ipswich Coach on its front cover, (see page 269 of The Gentle Art of Domesticity) and acknowledged their debt to Jane Brocket (aka Yarnstorm) for bringing the picture to their attention. Has she had the same effect on the Slightly Foxed team?

Whatever the case, I'm still bouncing up-and-down in anticipation of my favourite, quarterly, treat....

is this much fun legal?

I can't believe how much fun I've had over the last 8 days (despite a miserable sinus infection). First, the wonderful parcel from Siret. The choc (far nicer than UK choc, as it is less sweet) vanished in no time at all. But here's the beautiful "preyarn"

from this company. It really is the most tempting yarn presentation I've ever seen, and I think I'm going to follow Siret's lead, and use the yarn to make a crocheted, felted bag. Siret, you're a star!

After that (and the minor matter of filling in the tax form, which is not counted in the week's fun) it was off to the cinema, my first visit for over 2 years. Obviously, since I'm a most infrequent cinema-goer, it takes a special film to get me there! In this case it was the new St Trinian's film (sensationally silly and I'm still laughing over it), last time it was Wallace & Grommit and the Curse of the Wererabbit (Caught Knitting may have degrees in highbrow lit but she views films as strictly for fun).

Friday found me at work. But on Saturday it was KTog stash swap time. With 24 knitters (and one baby) this must have been the highest turnout to date.


The pictures give you a flavour of the atmosphere, but no hint of the fabulous stash that was on offer. I was really good: I gave away 7 balls of yarn and didn't bring any home. (I did, however, manage to come home with a copy of this fantastic work free, gratis and for nothing. There were even duplicate copies of some of Elizabeth Zimmermann's books on offer!) I'd dragged myself out feeling as though I should really be spending the day in bed, but ended up having a whale of a time.

On Sunday I revisted the wonderful White House Arts to do another felting course with textiles tutor extraordinaire, Roger Prime. This time I discovered the joys of Nuno felting, and even came away with a rather dramatic, reversible scarf (all my own work).
(Sadly this photo seems to be more of my chair than my scarf!). I can't recommend White House Arts classes highly enough. In the past I'd been put off by the prices (Sunday's course was £55) but I've realised that you really do get value for money here!

Monday, as ever, was spent at work and my poor head felt as if it was going to burst. Tuesday, too, slipped by in a fug of paracetemol and sinutab. But somehow(!) I made it to yet another KTog, this time at The Cambridge Blue. More stash was swapped (I weakened and came home with 2 new balls for my stash, but I did give away a further 5 or 6, so feel rather virtuous). By Wednesday morning I had to admit to myself that the sinuses needed anitbiotics (ugh), so off to the doctor's. But I sweetened the blow by heading to the bargain bins at Sew Creative. I got 3 fabulous balls of mohair blend for £1 each (another twirly scarf on its way) and (better still) 9 balls of creamy-white Wendy/Emu superwash DK for £1.50 each.

Today should have been market day, but a high temperature doesn't really go with standing outside and selling cakes and crafts. And my head was truly bunged up and thumping. Under these circumstances, a girl needs steam. In the past, I've taken the opportunity to cook up gigantic quantities of pulses for the freezer, but the cupboard was bare. Only then I had a brainwave, remembered everything that Liz had taught me (scroll down to "a second kiln"), grabbed my cauldron,

got to work with my niddy noddy, and a few hours later not only was the headache gone but: look what I've got!
The skeins on the right (starting with the bright green ones) are the Wendy/Emu DK, and I'm delighted with them. To the left of those are various pale lilac pure wools DKs (some Cygnet, some Jaeger) that called out to be livened up and on the left (not all visible in the pc) are assorted Rowan tweed yarns that I've picked up at previous stash swaps. I've turned a rather sludgy green into slightly brighter semi-solids (adding leaf green to both, highlighting one with turquoise and one, less susccessfully, with yellow) and some porridgey/browny yarn is now awash with various greens and reds.

Is this much fun legal?

yippeee

So there I was, hard at work with the t*x r*t*rn, when Graham came in brandishing a big jiffy bag. Addressed to me. A big, soft, squishy, very promising sort of a jiffy bag. From Estonia. The lovely Siret has sent me a New year gift: dark chocolate with cherries in (my dream chocolate, in fact) and the most beautiful cakes of yarn I have ever seen in my whole life: softest, loftiest, roving/lopi type in autumnal colours. I must take photos for you: words won't do it justice! But first, having completed the you-know-what (and here I really must thank the wonderful staff on the Inland Revenue help desk), I'm off to celebrate by going to see St Trinians. (I hope they still have the same school song. I hope nobody in the audience takes any notice of a strange middle aged lady crocheting and singing).

Daytrip, anyone?

I've just heard about a fantastic-sounding exhibition coming up at the Sainsbury gallery, in Norwich. It sounds fascinating and features contemporary textile artists from Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Japan and the UK.

I'm not sure there'll be a huge amount of knitting/crochet content (though I see that Freddie Robbins is included) but I'm planning to go at least twice, as I'm hoping to organise a couple of daytrips for the Cambridge KTog crew (one on a Saturday and one on a weekday, sometime during March/April) combining the exhibition with a visit to the oh-so-tempting Norfolk Yarn.

We'll be travelling by train from Cambridge (via Ely for connections with trains from the Midlands and the North) and bus once we're in Norwich. (Interesting fact: when you catch the bus to Norfolk Yarns you ask for "Mecca", as the Mecca Bingo Hall is opposite the shop).
Let me know if you'd care to join us!

*update*: the Saturday is now fixed- Sat 5 April 2008

Misty Mountain Hop!

Thanks to my (blogless) sister for putting me out of my misery: the Led Zep track accompanying the Larkrise to Candleford trailer is Misty Mountain Hop.
Thanks Hilla!

ps: Enjoy! (Guess what poor Graham is going to have to listen to when the caldo verde is served...)
pps: do follow the links to other Led Zep tracks: the "video" to Trampled Underfoot has to be my all-time favourite rock video ever.

UK Swap

Part One: Crafting
Do you knit, crochet, or both? Both. I tend to crochet more than knit these days.


What do you like to make? Small projects (accessories for homes and humans).


Do you have a favourite project? Varies but I have a short attention span.


Do you have a favourite type of fiber or brand of yarn? I love most wool yarns and alpaca. Favourite weights are sock yarn, 4-ply, DK and worsted. I'd love to try cashmere...


Do you have a least favourite type of yarn? Scratchy acrylics. (Some of the very cheap types). And I find that my hands hurt if I use really big needles, so that rules out bulky yarns.


Do you do any other crafts? Yes, but very, very badly... Not at all keen on things that require glue and fiddly bits!


What knitting do you bring ‘on the go’? I find crochet more portable and usually have all sorts of yarn scarps and assorted hooks with me, ready to whip up scarves, hats and corsages. Any knitting "on the go" will be on 4 needles (wristwarmers, socks) or a modular project.


What do you carry your ‘on the go’ knitting in? Do you want something new? An assortment of bags: canvas, plastic, paper... backpack, briefcase, handbag... I'd love a neat little case for my "notions".


Are there any knitting gifts (book, toy, yarn, item, tool) that you have been lusting over? I'd love some yarn from Posh yarns. I work on Sundays so never get to their shop in time...


Part Two: Your Favourites


What is your favourite colour? What is your least favourite colour? I adore greens (except bottle green), berry colours and autumnal colours. Anything you'd see on a walk in the countryside (from bright pink foxgloves to muted mushrooms). No to: neons and icky pastels.



What scents/smells do you like? What don’t you like? Love: fresh lemony/green smells; ginger; woody scents; rose. Hate: anything too sweet/bubblegummy/artificial

How do you like to pamper yourself? (bubble bath, hand creams, massage, manicure) I love wallowing in bubble bath (but it must have a natural scent and be cruelty-free: Faith in nature is my favourite brand and I especially like the Seaweed one). I'm also hooked on Neals Yard cocoa butter body cream. My hands need some tlc!

What goodies to you like to treat your tummy with? (chocolate, biscuits, truffles, etc.) I'll answer this one by telling you that my Mum calls me "the twiglet piglet" (cheers, mum) and adding that I also love dark chocolate, ginger and dried fruit in any combination. (Excluding the twiglets, that is). I try to get organic treats (again, except the twiglets!)


Do you prefer tea or coffee while you knit? Any particular kind? I'm not keen on tea and cannot stand coffee. I enjoy most herb teas but I'm rather fond of water. (And cider. And gin & tonic. But the knitting goes a bit weird, sometimes.)

Favourite mug/cup? That beauty that I found in Oxfam a couple of weeks ago. But that is strictly for display on the sideboard. For everyday I have a fabulous bone china mug with a ginger cat on a burgundy ground (think of a modern version of William Morris).

Do you listen to/watch anything while you knit? (TVshow-Along, movies, music, podcasts) I usually have Radio 3 or CDs in the background (I like classical, medieval, folk and world music). But I'm addicted to the Archers and Heartbeat. (I can't believe that I've just admitted that!)

Part Three: Living & Past-times


Where do you live in the UK? (General idea not address) East Anglia.


Have you always lived here, or did you grow up somewhere else? Born in Liverpool, moved to East Anglia (not the current bit) aged 3. Since leaving school I've had brief forays into Manchester, Worcestershire and Hertfordshire but the last 12 years have seen me moving closer and closer to my youthful stamping grounds.


If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? Practically everywhere! So many places that I want to see. Finland and Estonia; Prague and Budapest; Edinburgh. I suppose northern and eastern Europe are top of the list, but would love to go to Japan, Paris, New York...

If you couldn’t go to a knitting group, what other kind of gathering would you go to? (book club, tea party, yoga class, jewelery class, etc.) I'd go to anything where I could also knit/crochet. Think I'd enjoy a book group or tea party. I also like swimming, but that is quite solitary (and incompatible with yarn).

What’s your style? (elegant, traditional, glamourous, girly, natural, sporty, outgoing, etc.)
Eclectic yet understated. (Actually "low maintenance" probably sums it up..) I have to admit that my ideal outfit is a pair of cords or a tweedy skirt, a long-sleeved t-shirt and a stylish knit.... My favourite outfit is a brown 1920s/30s style dress (with a subtle pink/green/orange print) that I wear with a brown shrug and often layer with a long-sleeved t shirt and even a longer skirt underneath. Very versatile.




Final Part:


Any allergies/preferences (fiber-wise or treat-wise)? Mohair makes me sneeze and I have to be careful with anything that goes on skin near my eyes.


Anything we missed that you’d like your partner to know? Just that I'm really looking forward to the swap.

final final part!
Swap rules say that I'm supposed to link to this post from my sidebar. Wish I knew how, as then I'd have spared you all from wading through this! Is there any kind blogger user who can explain how to do this? Thanks!

baffled...

Can anyone explain to me why the trailer for the forthcoming BBC adaptation of Flora Thompson's Lark Rise to Candleford (written in the late 1930s/early 1940s but recalling Thompson's teenage years in the late 19th century) is accompanied by a a soundtrack from Led Zeppelin (circa 1976 or so)

And can anyone put me out of my misery by telling me precisely which track it is, as I'm losing sleep over this one, literally...

What next? All (anachronistic) suggestions welcomed!

*edited to add*:
Mr Caught Knitting reckons the sound track has been added to try and interest men. (Not that it works for him, the Led Zep records in our lounge belong to me...) Apparently there's an article on costume drama in The Guardian today in which the author says her husband and son both leave the room if they spot a bonnet on the screen...

links

No new year resolutions on this blog (I gave up making them over 25 years ago) but I think I've finally worked out how to add some links to the sidebar. Unfortunately first I really should do my tax return. (See what happens when you don't make resolutions: you leave everything to the last minute!) Maybe by this time next week?

silver lining (and gold rim)!

The only downside of my job is that there is no "little girls' room." (NB. This IS legal, long story...) There are some "public" facilities nearby and (needless to say) I'll wend my way there once or twice a day. When I got there today I was greeted by an annoying sign saying "closed for cleaning", so I decided to spend 5 minutes browsing in the Oxfam shop across the road. When I went back, the loos were still closed (worse, they were still closed 3 hours later, so I had to use the expensive ones at Park St car park).

But, it is true: every cloud has a silver lining (and, in this case, a gold rim, too) because LOOK WHAT I SCORED IN THE OXFAM SHOP. (I make no apology for shouting).
OK, so I'm a stepmother, as opposed to a mother, but that still puts me in the "mothers" category (and it gives me more time for knitting than genuine motherhood would, but I digress). Maybe this out-of-focus saucer might give you some idea as to why a non-tea drinker falls in love with a cup.
Needles and yarn, thimble and thread, killer heels... And on the back of the cup, a woman reading by a blazing fire (that's me that is, though I don't have quite such a shapely figure).
And on the front of the mug: yay! She's been caught knitting...
The cup is an oversize one of the "breakfast cup" type, the manufacturer is Fieldings Crown Devon, the pattern number 5599. Fieldings ceased trading in 1982, but I can't find any info online as to what date this might be from. Maybe 1950s?
I couldn't believe my eyes. I couldn't believe the price (and went and double-checked it with the manager) and the woman queueing behind me was very, very envious. Sorry the pictures are so poor, but I won't be at home during daylight until 1 Jan and I wanted to show it off now!

(Christmas) Windows on Vienna

How much is that doggie in the (Kunsthaus) window?


I was so busy snapping this rather wonderful window display (the bear is about 8 feet tall) that I failed to notice what the shop actually sells...

And finally, Father Christmas fails to find a chimney so has to clamber up the side of the building!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Take the N Tram

Whilst I spent most of my time in Vienna with Tamy, she had to stay at home on the morning of her brother's graduation, so I set off on a quest of my own...

Here's tram N, at Schwedenplatz, ready to take me in search of the works of perhaps my favourite artist, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, the man who inspired an Opal sock yarn range (NB the link is given merely for the picture, this isn't a company I've used). I travelled as far as Hetzgasse (where I dived into a supermarket for an Almdudler, an Austrian soft drink (allegedly a herbal lemonade, but it tastes rather like ginger ale blended with lucozade) which I actually prefer to "cola light"! A few steps later I found the first object of the morning's quest: the Hundertwasserhaus
The House is a block of flats that was given the Hundertwasser treatment (no straight lines, trees growing on rooftops and balconies) etc. Really, since he was an artist, not an arhitect, he has merely desinged the cladding. But it is so exhilarating! (What the residents think, though, I'm not sure: the street outside crawls with tourists and school groups). Somewhere near here is, apparently, a house designed by a philosopher, Wittgenstein (the Wittgensteinhaus). The Rough Guide recoomends that you visit the Hundertwasserhaus and give the Wittgensteinhaus a miss. The MAK guide, however (the MAK is Vienna's museum of applied design, which manages the increidble feat of being welcoming, cutting edge and shcolarly in equal measure) lists the Wittgensteinhaus as an architectural must-see and mysteriously fails to mention the Hundertwasserhaus... I did not go to see the Wittgensteinhaus but I have visited one of the houses he lived in whilst in Cambridge: it's where Tamy lived when she was studying for her PhD! After I'd browsed round the Kalke (Hundertwasser shopping arcade) I turned left and (following the instructions in the Rough Guide) "headed 4 blocks North" to reach the Kunsthaus Wien (Vienna Arthouse), another Hundertwasser conversion which houses a fabulous collection of his art. This was one of the highlights of my last trip to Vienna and I almost didn't go back. First, it made such an impression on me during my first visit that I can actually replay my time there like a video. And, secondly, I was concerned that the second visit would be anticlimactic.
I needn't have worried! From the moment the lady at the ticket desk flicked through the tickets to find me the most interesting one (they actually form a jigsaw of a painting of the Kunsthaus which, as you will see above, is decorated rather like a jigsaw) till the moment I left I just drank in the colour, the undulations (be warned, such is Hundertwasser's dislike of straight lines that even the floors curve up and down), the sheer exuberance. And I did spot a couple of things thta I overlooked last time, including a model of the power station which Hundertwasser "made over". Id seen the power station from the S-bahn when travelling from the airport to the hotel but I saw a very unexpected feature on the model: the top of one of the chimneys is clad in a replica of Hundertwasser's flamboyant, velvet, oversized, hippy cap. And, as I took the S-bahn back to the airport the following day, there I saw it: one mad hat with snow and steam swirling round it.

Incidentally, the KunstHaus's giftshop sells the Hudnertwasser Opal sock yarn, but at a premium. And, since my next stop was to be the yarn shop on Josefstadterstr. (tram N, tram 1, tram J...I did feel adventurous!) I gave the Opal a miss. (Probably just as well, I got to the yarn shop at 12.25 and it closed from 12.30 to 2.30 for lunch. As a sales assistant myself, I must say that I remain quite bemused by the brevity of Austrian shop opening hours).

O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum...

As I sit here trying to sort my thoughts about (and pictures of ) Vienna into order, I'm listening to Frohe Weihnacht, a wonderful selection of carols and classical music that I discovered in Vienna. Hearing "O Tannenbaum" ("O, Christmas Tree") gave me the inspiration I was looking for: here is a selection of trees, ranging from the cunning (my parents' use of their weeping fig), to the altogether shocking (the "altogether" being a clue!). Apologies in advance for the picture quality, these are definately snapshots!


First, my parents' tree. We had hoped they would come and spend Christmas with us, but Ma isn't feeling well enough, so we visited them yesterday. I'd forgotten my father's cunning take on Christmas trees (he started doing this about 5 or 6 years ago). Far from traditional, but --swathed in tiny white lights and decked out with red wooden pears, knitted santa and angel, felt stars and a few other traditional favourites--it fits beautifully into their sitting room.

Next, a stunningly beautiful tree in Freyung, a Viennese shopping arcade. Tamara is in front, clutching a bottle of diet coke (or "cola lite" as I learned to call it in Austria! The infamous straw --see Weds 19--is stowed safelyinside the bottle...) Many people say that our modern-day Father Christmases and Santa Clauses are dressed in red solely because of a coca cola advertising campaign that ousted the traditional green.

And now... this is the window of BluMax on Mariahilferstrasse, Vienna's main shopping street.
At first glance, just an ordinary tree, swathed in net, feathers and angels. But let's take a closer look...these certainly ain't angels!
Some may have been wearing scanty panties, but others were in the altogether, their modesty protected merely by the afore-mentioned feathers and net...
Yes, what can only be described as a Burlesque Christmas tree, in all its glory!

I have to confess to having been a little shocked by this but Tamy was more disturbed by the gingerbread nativity scene that we saw in one of the booths at the Christmas market in Freyung Square. We assume that it was for display only, and not for consumption...

Viennese Whirl Scarves

Recipe:
1.raid yarn shops in a favourite city, focussing on luscious textures and colours.
2.let rip with crochet hooks (size according to personal whim)



I sold both scarves on Thursday. The one on the right is off to New Zealand!

from the backblog: a wonderful prize

Look at this most gorgeous yarn:

It is 2 x 50g skeins of Angels & Elephants Shetland 2-ply, Candy Floss colourway. It arrived when my parents were here for lunch. Mum asked if she could take a closer look, and, believe me, I had a tough job getting it back again...
It arrived courtesy of Isabella (and her daughter), after I entered a competition on her blog. Do take a look at the tempting offer Isabella has just discovered!

the secret's out!

On my return from Vienna last week, before I'd even got my coat off, Graham thrust the most enormous package into my hands. It was a squidgy, lime green jiffy bag that had been sent from Germany. "I think it is from your secret pal" said G (who gets as excited about these things as I do!). And sure enough, as well as these lovely goodies:

(the yarn is composed of several strands of differing, but all scrumptiously soft, textures) there was a note revealing that my upstream pal is QuiltKarin. Many, many thanks Karin, for all the delights you've sent me (and apologies for my dreadful German!). This is the first time, in 3 rounds of SP, that I've not managed to "catch" my upstream pal before she's revealed herself to me. Meanwhile, in Estonia, my downstream pal decided to play at being Sherlock Holmes and tracked me down via Ravelry: Siret, you were an absolute joy to spoil and I adore reading your blog!

Viennese Whirls!

Not only am I back safely from Vienna, I've also managed to convert much of the yarn that I bought there into curly whirly scarves. A proper post (featuring photos of Xmas markets and some rather varied window displays) should follow by the weekend. Here, however, is one of the more urgent items: the yarn report!

Nicole asked about the yarn stores. In a word: "Wow!". I didn't get to visit all the ones recommended by The Austrian Addicts group on Ravelry but the three that I found within 10-15 minutes walk of each other (and my hotel) were fabulous. More details of those anon.

First, I must tell you about the one I decided to give a miss. Some of you may know that I was a wee bit anxious about the salubriousness of the area I was going to be staying in. (Note to self: next time you book dirt cheap hotel room, do read reviews of hotel before booking, not after. Or maybe just ignore them completely: many reviews panned the hotel but I found very clean and very comfortable). The "problem" was that it was just off the Gurtel (main ring road round Vienna) long stretches of which are used for soliciting, "erotic shops" and the like... I soon discovered that the short stretch I had to walk along (from Alser Strasse tube station to the street I was staying in) had only a drive-in MacDonalds on one side of the road and a parade of abandoned shops on the other. But one of the shops, whilst dingy and dirty, dusty and abandoned-looking, did appear to be open, albeit only on Mondays and Tuesdays. The window was full of tapestry kits and yarn (mostly brown, all very dusty). I gave it a miss, assuming that it was probably a front for a drug dealer. But, yes, I suspect my imagination had run away with me again. And a fleeting glance in daylight on Friday morning revealed that it stocked Austermann yarns. Ah well...

So that was the one that got away. The three I visited (and fell in love with) were:
Glatt & Verkehrt
Alser Strasse (towards the Gurtel end of the road), tram 44
Sells mainly Gedifra plus Regia sock yarns. It also sells OTT light-up needles and hooks. It was here that I attempted my most adventurous-ever foray into speaking German (which I did not get the chance to learn at school, boo): "Sechs batterien fur halke needlen, bitte". (Apologies for not typing in the accents, I'd probably get those wildly wrong). I ruined it not only by (a) pronouncing everything wrong but also (b) saying "pour" instead of "fur". (Yes, French is my second language, and the one I automatically find myself using whenever overseas. I have bumped into people in Stockholm, Vienna and San Diego and baffled them by saying "Oh, pardon Monsieuer/Madame". I think that it must be a reflex reaction triggered when I see cars driving on the right.)
But I digress! The amazing lady in the shop understood what I wanted (I was able to point at the hooks/needles as I spoke, which could be what gave her the clue) and I now have plenty of spare batteries (anyone nearby who'd like one, just let me know!)
Wollboutique Balder
Alserstrasse 21 (at the junction with Langegasse) trams 43/44. Pingouin sign outside.
I'd been here before (when I was in Vienna for Tamy's wedding about 3 years ago) and found it even better than last time. It is very well-organised and packed full of Lana Grosse (inclduing several covetable yarns on incredibly good special offer, plus some Rowan Tapestry and Opal and Regia for socks. I was struck by how many mroe variegated yarns are available than back in the UK and also lots of boucle yarns, too. Lots of rich, winter colours and almost every yarn has a sample knitted up and yardage/stithces to 10cm. I made 3 trips here (once to browse, twice to buy)and the shop was full of customers each time I went. (You can fit about 5 in at once!) My first purchase was some worsted-weight merino (variegated, greens and bright pinks and oranges) and a fluffy microfibre/merino/mohair blend that is as soft and alluring as a marmalade cat. These have been combined into a curly whirly scarf. I also got a couple of odd balls to work into other projects. And on my last morning treated myself to co-ordinating boucle and smooth yarns for a warm hat. That was a special outing: it was finally snowing, the last of my Euros were burning a hole in my pocket and I spotted a young woman knitting on the tram).
Last, but by no means least:
Zweiglattzweiverkehrt
Josefstadterstrasse 14 tram J (at the Rathaus end of the street)
Again, one I've been to before. Bursting at the seams with beautiful knitted items (look out for the conical, welted, Noro hats
with pony tail holes at the top!) and sumptuous yarns from all over the globe. Yarns stocked include Noro, Anny Blatt, Rowan, Lang, some gorgeous shetland in hanks, and many, many other distractions. But (with rather dodgy timing) I had arrived at 12.25 and she closes for lunch from 12.30-2.30. So I quickly swept my eyes round the shop and made a snap decision. Using the virtually foolproof method of pointing, I requested "drei" of some Lang Mille Colori (now transformed into a scarf) and "ein" of something for someone who reads this blog...
Buoyed up by this success, I went to a newspaper kiosk and (pointing) requested "Anna Weinachts" (Anna Christmas Special). Unfortunately I pronounced it as "Wien nachts" (Anna Vienna Nights special) which made the kiosk man roar the correct pronunciation back at me... One learns!

The yarns I bought were probably about 20% cheaper than I would have paid for comparable things in the UK, but Rowan is far more expensive in Austria.

Hope this is helpful, Nicole, (though you certainly didn't need to know about my dodgy German). And you should have seen me in a bakery, miming a "can my friend have a straw,please?"!

hibernating until 15/12

off on my travels (first a wedding, then Vienna). back soon!

hiding the evidence

Uh-oh. Caught Knitting's been blowing the housekeeping (again) on fancy organic cider...

How's she going to hide the evidence before Graham gets home?

Yay! Problem solved thanks to Monkee Maker! This is the amazing bottle warmer that I won earlier this month. Thanks Kerry. The workmanship on this handy hidey holder is superb and I'm hoping to buy a bag from Kerry's shop very soon, but they keep selling out...

Why do I need the bag? Er, well, I've also been blowing the housekeeping on yumptious Hip Knits silk yarn from Sew Creative (blush).




ps Sorry about the rubbish photos. NB I don't really have a housekeeping budget to juggle. The real reason I have to disguise the cider is so that Graham doesn't drink it!

potty question...

I've been crocheting and felting small baskets/pots from my hand-dyed yarn over the last 3 or 4 weeks and I'm wondering whether or not to add them to my market stock. Do you think they would sell? (NB I haven't really been storing my make-up/beads/hooks in this set, Graham suggested I took a photo like this just to prove that they have a purpose!).


They do look rather, shall we say, "organic", and they aren't ultra-stiff. I love them but I'm not sure the shoppers at the stall formerly known as Cambridge WI Market would appreciate them. I'd appreciate your feedback and will review the situation next week. Whilst they're small, they have a minimum of 25g of yarn in each and I was thinking of pricing them at about £7.50-£10. the reason that I'm not keeping for myself is that I have some larger ones that I made earlier, and those are used for storing my makeup and beads.