ripple mania

Here we are: two more ripple scarves since Saturday...

I wonder whether this obsession might not be getting a wee bit out of control?

When not either at work or rippling madly, I've spent most of the last few days with my friend Tamy, in Cambridge on a flying visit from Singapore. Here she is wrapped up against the elements

as we explored the Botanic Gardens


Lastly, I found this over at Shona's blog. As I'm generally sound asleep at midnight and don't strike myself as even remotely eccentric, this was a real surprise. (Others may beg to differ).

You Are Midnight

You are more than a little eccentric, and you're apt to keep very unusual habits. Whether you're a nightowl, living in a commune, or taking a vow of silence - you like to experiment with your lifestyle. Expressing your individuality is important to you, and you often lie awake in bed thinking about the world and your place in it. You enjoy staying home, but that doesn't mean you're a hermit. You also appreciate quality time with family and close friends.

What Time Of Day Are You?

It's a hard life...

First you strain to catch that elusive thought...

then you catch it and put it on paper...

then you have to recover!


(Graham at The Orchard Tea Rooms, Granchester on Sat 22 Sept)

ecquinoctal stroll

Yesterday, with the year poised between summer and autumn, we headed off to Granchester to sip iced tea and work on our current projects (an article on Coleridge in Graham's case, yet another ripple stitch scarf in mine) then we wandered back to Cambridge through the meadows, past the cows,

spotting signs of autumn,

as we ambled by the river.

Even once we were back in Cambridge the cows were out in force (this one was on Laundress Green!

are teenaged knitters the key to the future?

Graham spotted this in The Telegraph a couple of days ago. (I was rather staggered to note that "mums over 45 constitute the biggest-growing group in the games playing market". Are they craftily stealing playstations as their kids pack for uni? )

caught sitting

We get a box of organic veg delivered every Tuesday. The idea is that as the new boxful is delivered, the previous (now, of course,empty) box is removed. But someone seems to have taken a shine to this week's box:

(U)FO

Meet the Unidentifiable Finished Object

(NB, kindly focus your gaze upon the knitted object and not Graham's very smart measuring tape!)
It was supposed to be a tray for displaying my crocheted corsages, but, well, goodness; does Rowan Tapestry felt, or does it felt? (Clue: the answer is YES).
It went into the machine at 14" diameter and came out (one 60 degree cycle later) as 7" diameter. It is the thickest, most plumptious felt ever. The combination of soy and wool (each felting at its own rate) has created a fluffy, boucle fabric.


But what's a girl to do with an under-sized tray?

Option 1: the frisbee. (unphotographable) I discovered this option when I removed it from the washing machine and, so angry with the drastic shrinkage, flung it the length of the garage. Not sure whether this had more to do with the strength of my rage than with the item's inherent aerodynamic potential...

Option 2: the exceptionally silly hat (photos censored out of consideration for model!) Would need addition of elastic for true functionality.

Option 3: the wallhanging. Just add beads and embroidery and....nah, too pretentious by half.

Option 4: fold in half, and use as a knitted cornish pasty.


But, then again, why???

Option 5: teapot mat.



I think this will have to be what it becomes. Unless anyone else has any ideas?!!!

Since completing this I've made something which I love (and with which it will be most difficult to part.) But it is a secret surprise, so I'm not showing you!

this week's FOs

This week I've been using some of my stash of yarns that I've dyed recently and whipped up a few items to sell via the country market. (Not that any of them actually did sell today, but there's always another week).

First off, a ripple stitch scarf.


The stitch is Gary's Ripple (from Jan Eaton's 200 Ripple Stitches) and it has to be the most addictive stitch pattern ever. This must be about the 10th scarf I've made using this stitch since July! The yarn here is the awful Jaeger Como that I jolly nearly shipped off to a charity shop. It nearly drove me mad when I tried to knit with it (splitting and puckering) but it behaved really well once coupled with my 6.5mm Susan Bates silvalume crochet hook.

Then there are 3 pairs of bootees (2 pairs in DK and one, the green one, in 4-ply).

They're worked in one piece, from the sole up and are distantly related to a yellow, lacy pair in a pattern that Patons published many moons ago (and which I've long since lost.) I'm particularly pleased with the 4-ply yarn, the softest lambswool that I got from Texere and which I've dyed in all sorts of unisex colourways (green with russet and blue; green with red and turquoise; green with purple; green with brown...do we see a pattern emerging here?)

knitting and dreaming

Decided to have a really lazy day yesterday and headed off to Cambridge Botanic Garden.

I found my favourite seat

which gives these two wonderful views


and knitted away for ages, with only the odd passing squirrel to distract me. Once I'd cast off I went for a stroll and fun taking pictures of reflections!

Just a perfect day...

Yesterday started off well, with Radio 3 playing my absolute favourite piece of music, Farewell to Stromness by Peter Maxwell Davies. (Sadly I couldn't get the youtube code to embed, so you'll have to click on the link! Also note, the youtube performance is on a guitar, it is even better on the piano.) I've been totally hooked on his work since I saw the premier of Le Jongleur de Notre Dame at the King's Lynn Festival in 1978 (Based on a medieval French story, and performed in St Nicholas Chapel, the cast included a rather stunning juggler.)

But back to yesterday! Next I had the wonderful task of choosing which of my handpaint yarns to work with next, then the carpeneter turned up to put a much-needed cabinet in our bathroom! Leaving him working, Graham and I headed off to town (Graham to the University Library and me to browse craft markets and bookshops)then we met for a half at The Granta, followed by lunch at The Rice Boat.

Obviously, we had to walk off all this indulgenece, so we wandered over Granchester Meadows (famously celebrated by Pink Floyd, another favourite track) and then came to rest in The Orchard Tearooms.

Lemonade was consumed,


ripples were hooked


and then (now totally overcome by waves of laziness) we reminded ourselves that it was a whole week since we'd travelled on a double decker bus (yes, we are both big kids at heart) so we decided to do the 2 miles back to the centre of Cambridge by bus! We were beaten to the upstairs front seats by two Japanese visitors but still had an exciting ride. As the the bus tore through country lanes it was ripping off leaves from overhanging boughs and the leaves landed in our laps. Huge fun.

the costs of being a hooker

After a mammoth dyeing session (er, that's mammoth as in "huge" as opposed to mammoth as in "extinct mammal"!) on Wednesday I now have lots of Jaeger Como in wild colour mixes inspired by (a) the blackberry bush next to which I did the dyeing (on a pasting table in the garden) and (b) a somewhat Gustav Klimt palette of golds and oranges, with flashes of greens and turquoises. Since I'm totally hooked on croceheted ripple stitch scarves at the moment I think I'll use the yarn to make more. But, big but, I realised that I'd need some large hooks. The ball band specifies 8mm, but I like drape, so I've decided to try 9mm, too.

Alas, I couldn't find any in my supplies bag. So off to town. And the awful discovery that the only large crochet hooks available in Cambridge at the moment are Pony hooks. AARGH. I hate Pony hooks. The hooked end is all catchy and splitty! After several months of intensive crochet I've realised that my top favourite hooks are susan Bates silverlume aluminium (and not just because of the gorgeous colours), followed by Britanny, followed by any other hook that isn't Pony.

Worse was to come. Not only did I have to buy Pony hooks, but in these large sizes they cost £3.30 each. Ouch.

End of rant!

Ravelry

I'm in. My user name is caughtknitting. Not sure whether I'll be able to do any knitting or crocheting this evening, though as I've gone and cut a finger whilst at work. Not a bad cut, just an awkward place.

the ultimate throwaway line?

Hooray! Radio 4's Pick of the Week has just included an excerpt from a programme broadcast on Radio 3 last week, about the discovery of the original manuscript of Thomas Malory's Morte d'Arthur. And it included what has to be the ultimate in thowaway lines, speaking of somebody "betrayed by his wife, who made him seven years a werewolf". And that's all. No further explanation! Mind you, Malory himself had a colourful (if werewolf-free) life as you can read here.

Whilst on the subject of literature, here's a poem by that prolific poet Anon:


A wise old owl lived in an oak
The more he saw the less he spoke
The less he spoke the more he heard.
Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?


And here is Crazy Big Owl, he of the crazy eyes (and stuffing session) I mentioned last night:

He's based on the "Cute Little Owl" pattern from the latest (Sep/Oct) issue of Crochet Today. This was, unbelievably, on sale in W.H.Smith, complete with an insert suggesting suitable Patons yarns for each project. (Mind you, since many projects use worsted weight yarns the list virtaully read "Washed Haze Aran, Washed Haze Aran, Washed Haze Aran" and so on and on and on). Needless to say, I did not use the recommened yarn for this project (guess what, Washed Haze Aran!) but raided the stash basket for super chunky and chunky-weight yarns. And, well, let's just say that I had my own particular vision of how the eyes should look!

gizmo heaven

Today has been spent happily playing with two new toys (I didn't really want to admit that they are toys but have no idea whether a pluralised gizmo has an "e" in it or not).

Gizmo numero uno cost a mere £1.25 and is a teeny little plastic device for winding embroidery floss onto bobbins. I'm using it to transfer Anchor Perle onto bobbins. It is a wee bit ricketty (and has to be clipped onto one of those dinky little boxes used for storing skeins of floss) but costs even less than a half of cider. Remarkably it came from a cycle shop. But not just any old cycle shop. No, Ely Cycle Centre is the most unexpected store ever. To start with, the bikes are upstairs, which strikes me as crazy (especially as this is a steep, twisty, staircase). But as well as bikes you can find: model kits, DIY equipment, toys galore (I very nearly bought a stick-on party moustache but there were so many to choose from that I gave up!)and an enormous craft section. Strictly speaking, there isn't much for knitters. But with crochet yarn, buttons, beads, fabric (and more) you're bound to find something that you need (even if you didn't realise it when you set out).

Whilst in Ely


(NB this picture was taken on an earlier visit; yesterday was decidedly overcast) we also visited the Cathedral and Topping Books, where Graham bought me this gorgeous tome as an anniversary gift!

The other new gizmo is an Ashford Niddy Noddy from Scottish Fibres (exemplary service, as always!). It is supplied unfinished, so Graham kindly smoothed it with fine sandpaper and we both had fun waxing it with some ancient beeswax polish. Now (at last) I can create consistently-sized skeins and it is such fun to do. When I went into the interstices of the garage to hunt the polish I spotted 7 balls of Jaeger Como (an impulse buy that I regretted) destined for the next charity shop run. I looked more closely: 90% merino, 10% polyamide... Suddenly I saw it with new eyes: dyers eyes. Yes, it may knot easily and pucker as you knit. But I can convert the off-greige colour into rainbow loveliness and it should be good for corsage-making, if nothing else. No prizes for guessing what the niddy noddy has been skeining!

And now it is owl-stuffing time (not to be confused with this ) and I must crochet some mad eyes. All will be revealed. But not today.

Transformation (crochet content!)

Do you remember these rather sickly looking yarns?



Thanks to Liz's tuition (hop over to Liz's blog and scroll down to 8 July to see just what went on), and thanks to some money invested in dyes and a steamer,I was able to convert them into this:



Whilst at Liz's I noticed that she had a wonderful storage solution: lots of knitted, felted pots and baskets. So I decided to follow suit (albeit in crochet).
So far I have created 2 tubs for my dressing table



But those monkeys who hang out in our bedroom seem to have different ideas...

so near, and yet...

Ravelry seems to be inviting about 240-250 people a day.

Now look at where I am

Found you!
You signed up on June 25, 2007
You are #11030 on the list.
301 people are ahead of you in line.
18720 people are behind you in line.
36% of the list has been invited so far

Yes, there's an entire weekend in the way!

(Here ends the grumpy post, look out for some crochet content coming soon!)

some bank holiday entertainment

As recommended by the nieces!



Altogether now: "Snape, Snape, Severus Snape..."

Tying the knot... (Crochet content!)

Q.
What on earth is Graham doing

putting a tie on

on what must be one of the hottest days of the year?


A. He is showing what a devoted husband he is by modelling the tie I've crocheted him to celebrate the fact that, two years ago today, we "tied the knot" at Cambridge Register Office.

The yarn is Jaeger baby merino 4-ply (formerly cream but now green burgundy and indigo after a dyeing session at Liz's) and the pattern came from one of those ancient Patons crochet brochures. I'm not sure that the tapering at the point is ideal, and I hope that wet pressing will cure it, but I could not face the iron this afternoon!

We've celebrated with a delicious meal and a few glasses of wine, and Graham has uttered his inevitable pun: "Anniversary? Don't you mean "Any worse-ery?"

Having a monster time...

Peace and quiet have returned to our home as the nieces were collected by their mother at 1pm, to be taken on to Nanny and Grandad. Actually, their visit was much quieter than it might have been, as Fashion Victim was unable to play the guitar she'd brought with her!

As you will see, Uncle Graham decided to exploit Miss Pegs's youthful energy:



Yesterday was spent crafting: friendship bracelets, hand-painting yarn and sewing monsters, inspired by the fantastic ones in Monda's etsy shop. Here's a close-up (taken by Fashion Victim) of some of our efforts:



(Somehow I don't think we'll be competing with Monda for Etsy sales, but these were huge fun to make!)

This morning was spent in the garden, soaking up the unexpectedly bright weather:


(The models' hats kindly loaned by Uncle Graham. Note very shy model on the right!)

Yet more friendship bracelets were produced, bubbles were blown and FV got to play with auntie's camera:

a true fashion victim

Fun and games here today, as my nieces have come to stay! The day got off to a bad start when I walloped my head and shoulder on a sloping ceiling. Surely, after that, things could only get better?

We had fun trying out crochet chains, we had a really great meal, and then.... E&J went to get themselves ice-creams. Only J came back, telling me that E had fallen over and hurt herself. A rather woebegone E told me that she'd dislocated her wrist. Happily, there was a first-aider close at hand who applied an icepack and suggested that maybe we got the writst looked at by A&E. I was still baffled about the cause of E's fall. Hmmm.... Turned out that she'd tripped on her amazingly long, decidedly ripped jeans....

One trip to A&E later and we have a broken bone to report! The niece formerly-known as Goth Niece is henceforward known as Fashion Victim Niece. Once we got home we decided to postpone our yarn-painting session until tomorrow, not least because cruel Uncle Graham was making jokes along the lines of "at 1pm I broke my wrist, at 6pm I dyed".


Let's hope that Fashion Victim Niece (E), Miss Pegs (J) and I have a less eventful day tomorrow.

On drying the dyeing

It was a wee bit overcast when Marianne and Maisie came over to dye on Friday but, as you can see (and there's a much better picture here) it was dry enough to put the skeins out on the washing line...

As you can see, we steam set the skeins. Liz likens this stage to cumberland sausages and those little steamed cloths you get in Indian restaurants. But, well, this one reminded us of something far less savoury. Or, as Marianne put it: "What would Gillian McKeith make of this one?"

Unfortunately, I decided that it would be a good idea to leave my yarn on the line overnight. Huge mistake. It ended up even wetter than when it went out, necessitating a long spell in the airing cupboard.

But what's a girl to do when even the airing cupboard isn't drying things? Clearly these skeins needed to be hung up to air, with a little help from my monkeys:

Having done such sterling work in finally gettting the yarn dry, I gave in to the monkeys' request to look after everything that emerged from the cauldron on Friday.

My favourites are the lengths of nylon velvet ribbon which you might just about be able to make out, as I've coiled them onto spools. But Graham has fallen in love with the 100% silk on the right.

Jenn's SP11 Contest (yet more questions)

I'm in Jenn's group for SP11 and she's asked us to Blog the answers to some questions. They may look easy, but I've had a tought time answering some of them...

1. What is the one knitting accessory you could not live without?

I'm assuming that yarn, needles and time (albeit in tiny snatches!) don't count as accessories, so the only other thing I always have is me is my trusty Chibi case and sewing-up needles. This was a gift from Liz and the first time I tried one of the needles out I was really frustrated by the curved end, but the more I use it, the more I love it.

2. If you're heading on vacation, do you take knitting with you? If so, how much and what type of project?
Yes (the thought of travelling without it is unthinkable) but I've learned to travel very light: I take oddments of 4-ply yarn and perle sewing thread, 3.25mm dpns and 3mm and 1.5mm crochet hooks then I'm all set to work anything from crocheted corsages to baby bootees to small modular knit bags. they're in my bag even for my journey to work. For a vacation I'll add a pair of 5.5mm needles (sometimes my Peace fleece ones, sometimes my Britanny needles) and the addresses of any yarn stores within a 20-mile radius of wherever I'm staying. The 5.5mm needles are on the offchance that I might encounter some Noro (Kureyon, Blossom or Silk Garden)...I made 3 scarves after visiting Bobbins in Whitby this time last year....


3. Where have you travelled to that you'd consider your favorite spot?
Didima Camp in the Drakensburg Mountains, South Africa. With this view


plus some modular knitting, my husband and a gin & tonic, well, what more can a girl ask? But the yarn shop I found in Gamla Stan (the old town of Stockholm) a few years ago runs a very close second (it is where I first saw, and purchased Noro yarn)!

4. What is your favorite knitting book at the moment? Do you own it?
I've not seen it in real life but I'm lusting after Invisible Threads in Knitting by Annemor Sundbo. Sadly it does not seem to be available in the UK, sigh.

5. Do you listen to podcasts? Which is your favorite(s)?
Sadly not, as my broadband connection is very unreliable.

secret things, exciting things

Yippee, I've just had details of the person I'm spoiling in SP11. And just in case the person spoiling me has dropped in, head back to my entry on 7 August to view the SP11 questionnaire.

Now I must go and transform the kitchen into a dyeing zone, as Marianne and Maisie are coming to play this afternoon and I've bought pale yellow silk, patchily faded mauve merion and odds and ends of strangely-textured nylon yarns and ribbons to experiment with. (And thanks to Liz, for tipping me off that nylon yarns need a good prewash and musn't have any areas left unpainted, unless I want white dots!)

Absence of knitting content...

I'm in a grumpy don't-know-what-to-make-next mood. And I'm beginning to wonder whether I should change the name of this blog!

Since escaping from the joys of retail management 10 weeks ago (10 weeks already?!) I have only one knitted FO to report (a pair of modular knit bootees, designed and dyed by me. They sold rather faster than I expected, so I failed to get a photo of them!).

But I've handpainted 14 skeins of yarn and crocheted at least 8 scarves (mainly in chevrons using yarns that provide plenty of colour changes like Twilleys Freedom Spirit and Rowan Tapestry). I've made a very strange hat: it doubles up as a drawstring bag and would be ideal for a medieval peasant who suddenly came across oh, I don't know, truffles. I've crocheted and felted a slightly lopsided but altogether lovely basket to hold my lipstick collection. And I've lost count of how many corsages and brooches I've made (I'd hazard a guess at around 20). I've been doing a brisk trade in these via Cambridge country market and the scarves are destined for there, too, once the weather cools down.

On the hook at the moment is a crochet bootee from a 1970s pattern. I'm still a bit uncertain about my patten reading skills when it comes to crochet and this is more of a "recipe" book, by which I mean it will say things like "crochet along side of foot, across toe, down side of foot and across heel" but doesn't tell you how many stitches to crochet up from the sides. It looks a bit weird and puckered!

Ideas started and abandoned include my old amour Edgar, but worked with crocheted mitres, rather than knitted ones. I dabbled with this on Saturday and it looked quite good but, as I hate crocheting the first row from a foundation chain, and this pattern requires stitches to be added every few rows, I gave up.

So now I'm looking for a simple project demanding zilch concentration to work on at tomorrow night's KTog.One that doesn't involve crochet. Or chevrons.

Edited to correct links (thanks to Mary for the heads up!) I'm used to Blogger swallowing my photos but it has only done this to my links once before...

What a shower!

Graham and I spent a happy ten minutes in our back garden last night watching the shooting stars of the perseid meteor shower. Amazing to think that these vivid streaks in the sky were travelling at 135,000 miles/hour...

only in Cambridge...

The infamous Cambridge "bin busker" is back. Follow the link and you'll see that this is a chap who sits inside a rubbish bin, with just the neck of his guitar sticking out, serenading passers-by and those of us waiting at the Bridge Street bus stop.

So there I was, enjoying the strains of "where do you go to my lovely," when suddenly the bin busker was drowned out by an amplified voice singing "if I were a rich man". The new, more high-tech busker, was being pedalled round in a tri-shaw, which was doing a very short circuit centred on, yes, the Bridge Street Busker.

Busker Wars! Whatever next?

the joy of surprises

Today has been huge fun. We invited a friend to lunch (a very simple collation of mushrooms a la grecque; a dip made from canellini beans, carrot and dill; baked halloumi cheese; all washed down with white wine spritzers) and finally, finally we brought out our picnic table and dined in the garden for the first time this year.

Despite the blistering heat, I gave Margie a scarf that I'd crocheted for the occasion(today is the 20th anniversary of her arrival in the UK from South Africa) and she presented us with a bunch of deep red sweet peas (such seductive scent) and a large bundle of spinach and spinach beet from her garden. But she had an ever better surprise up her sleeve: a trip to the gardens of Docwra Manor, just on the other side of Cambridge. Here 2.5 acres of erstwhile farmland have been transformed into a series of garden "rooms" (I was going to say "miniature gardens" but as each of these little enclosures is about the size of our backgarden, that might be exaggeration!)

You can take a virtual tour here! But if you live within travelling distance I recommend going in peson. Every corner holds a new surprise (my favourite was a tiny circular water feature with a resident frog) and there are lots of gorgeous sights, scents and sounds to enjoy.

strange slogans on t-shirts

I've always been a bit fussy about words on t-shirts. In my early teens I fell in love with a beautiful design in C&A but then spotted that the "French" slogan was really just gibberish. So back on the rail it went.

Alas, the many teenagers currently studying at Cambridge's many language schools are less concerned. In the last 10 days I've spotted

* "let the fon begin"
(as a hopeless typist myself I suspect that this one is just a typo)

* "if I want to make stool in my pants now, you are the only one who can stop me"
(UGH!)

* "100% B&B Chivalry Style Sportwear made in Texas"(this one even had some washing instruction icons printed underneath it)

let me know if you spot anything interesting!

SP 11

Goody! There's going to be lots of blog-reading and gift buying and all-round secret stuff coming up between now and November, and no, I am not doing my Xmas shopping early this year. (AAArgh, I've just broken my never mention you-know-what before November embargo.) I'm doing something MUCH better. I've signed up for the latest Secret Pal knitting exchange. And here are my answers to the SP11 questionnaire, as whilst I'm busy devising treats and surprises for an anonymous someone, somewhere a different anonymous someone, somewhere wll be doing the same for me!

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I love natural fibres, especially wool, bamboo, cashmere and blends of any of these with nylon. I find that mohair makes me sneeze (though I get round that by storing it in the freezer) and I don't often use cotton. As for "fibres you absolutely do not like" can there really be such a thing?

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I've got needle rolls, pencil pots, biscuit tins, carrier bags. My husband would probably sigh and point out that despite all these storage options there are still many hooks and needles strewn (apparently) randomly around the house.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I've been knitting for almost 30 years, and crocheting for 2. I'd say I'm intermediate at both.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
No!

5. What's your favorite scent?
The scent of yarn! But I also love lemons, lemongrass, bergamot and woody smells, also lavender and geranium.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
I love dried fruit (except prunes, yuk) and dark chocolate.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I crochet, hand paint yarn and do a little bit of feltmaking. I've signed up for dayschools in felt and nuno felt during October and November. I'm not terribly good at drop spindling but a certain spouse has been dropping hints about spinning wheels...

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I like world and folk music, early music (especially medieval dance tunes) and contemporary classical music (well, some of it anyway!). My computer refuses to play MP3s, sob.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I like most of the colours found in nature, especially grassy and citrussy greens and berry colours of any description. But I do not like bottle green (yes, my school uniform was bottle green; if you watch the Harry Potter films, think Slytherin!) When it comes to yarns, I adore multi-coloured yarns, especially Noro.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I live with the world's best man, his daughter (aged 27) and a 16-year old tortoisehell cat, who is the gentlest cat ever.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Yes.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Accessories.

13. What are you knitting right now?
Nothing! But I'm about to cast on some bootees and I'm busily crocheting funky brooches out of cotton perle embroidery thread.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Is there anything better?

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
All of them, depending on how the mood takes me and how the implements and yarn get on. I have to say that I'm also influenced by looks (peace fleece needles and Britanny crochet hooks!) and colour. I do not like Pony brand crochet hooks as they make almost everything split.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
I've a very ricketty metal skein holder that belonged to my grandma. Also my husband can be very useful for holding skeins. I'm the ball winder.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
I dread to think, but take heart from the fact that my mother completed a short-sleeved jumper over 40 years after she started it.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
I love coast and countryside (in the UK and overseas) and enjoy exploring European cities. Yarn shopping is compulsory and steam trains should be prsent whenever possible.
edited to add: have just realised that I've based my answer on the British English definiton of "holiday" (vacation) rather than the American English one (something along the lines of festival/national holiday) for which I have no answer...!

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Yarn! and I'm slowly building a collection of prints/postcards featuring people knitting.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I've reached the stage where technique-type books are more alluring than patterns but I still can't get enough vintage or regional/ethnic/folk-type knitting books and social history. I don't subscribe to any mags but regularly buy Interweave Knits, Knit 1 and Selvedge (a wonderful textiles mag published in the UK).


21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
Patience!

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I flirt with sock knitting but suffer second sock syndrome. My feet are a UK size 6.5-7 (continental 40) and rather wide (as are my calves).


23. When is your birthday?
2 November

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
I'm awaiting my invite (see q21).

A very hard act to follow

Sorry about recent blog silence but have been deeply immersed in


(a) crochet: 3 scarves and about 14 corsages in the last 10 days! However, to stave off another bout of RSI I made sure that I also did plenty of...


(b) reading:

whilst I don't know any of R S Thomas's poetry (yet!) I was seduced into buying this book by a review in The Guardian. And I agree with those eulogies you can probably just about make out on the cover ( "A biography touched by genius" "Brilliant and unique....A masterpiece") It is also quite irritating at times, swinging around wildly from narrator to narrator, place to place, time to time (I'm too used to dry-as-dust, sequential academic tomes) but, oh, what fun. And so moving.

Beautifully produced, too, with endpapers that look as though they may have been by Stanley Spencer (or maybe, at a push, Laura Knight) but which turn out to have been by M E Eldridge, who--until I read this book--was just a name on the back of a postcard (published by Medici, in the 80s, I think) of exquisite illustrations of mice and foliage including a rosemary branch (which is why I, Rosemary, had it on my desk for many years). It turns out that "M E" was Thomas's wife, Elsi, who clearly merits a biography (and illustrated catalogue) of her own. (And I need a course in how to avoid overusing parantheses).

patient, moi?

One thing that amuses me when I tell people that my number one hobby is knitting is the number of times that I get the response "Oh, you must be very patient". Oh no I'm not. But I've just checked on Ravelry, and it seems as though I'm going to have to be...

Found you!
You signed up on June 25, 2007
You are #11030 on the list.
4015 people are ahead of you in line.
9921 people are behind you in line.
33% of the list has been invited so far

Sigh...

Still at least it is a case of the 9k+ being behind me, rather than in front.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I've been quite subdued this week, as my Uncle Claude (dad's younger brother) died on Monday. Claude was my godfather, as well as my uncle, and I spent nearly a year living with him and my Auntie Joan in 1981-2, whilst I was doing a secretarial course. They made me so welcome! I'm never going to forget my Uncle's smile(the widest I ever saw) nor the fact that he taught me how to do running stitch quickly. (I was so surprised that A MAN could sew).

But I've finished Harry Potter (loved it!), crocheted a scarf and a corsage, my KTog mates kept me smiling on Tuesday night and my sister, brother-in-law and niecies were in Cambridge for the day on Wednesday. We went punting and shopping and it was so good to share hugs and laughter. And my darling Graham's been as amazing as ever.

What's in a name? (or Square Old American Traditional Granny?)

Last Sunday Graham spotted a request in "Pews News" (newsheet of our local parish church) from a (temporarily) housebound lady asking for crochet lessons, with the fee going to Action Abroad (a charity which sponsors children in Africa and India). Now, as I can crochet and Graham is on the fundraising committee of Action Abroad, I could see where this was leading.

I 'phoned the lady in question and discovered that she was hoping to complete a pram blanket started by her grandmother 15 years ago. I was told that the pattern was "American Squares". I've never heard of American Squares but went along to her house yesterday armed with books and hooks galore.

It turns out that she had the book granny had worked from, and there was the pattern for what looked, to me, like a normal granny square but was called, in her book, "Old America". We set to work. Soon my student was chaining and trebling like an old hand. But when we hit round 2 in the instructions "3 treble, 3 chain" and I had to explain that "the first 3 treble is actually 3 chain and 2 treble like it said on the last round" I decided it was time to turn to Jan Eaton. Jan Eaton's "200 Crochet Blocks" is the book that finally got me crocheting. I'd struggled, on and off, for years trying to master the art but wass thrown by the fact that so much prior knowledge is assumed in crochet patterns. Jan's books don't just tell you what to do but why you're doing it. The "Old America" square we were battling with is a "Traditonal Granny" in 200 Crochet Blocks. And each round begins "chain 3, counts as first stitch". It even explains when you are making the corners.

The "Old America" instructions stopped at round 4, but granny had made her squares with 5 rounds. Once my pupil realised how the corners were made, she worked out the missing fifth round for herself.

The moral of this story is no matter what the motif is called, if you need a clear explanation head for one of Jan Eaton's tomes!

a spooky coincidence

I accidentally impaled myself at work today. When Graham dropped in to see me at lunchtime, he spotted the plaster on my left palm and--holding his own, plastered, left palm aloft--asked how I'd acquired my wound. Blushing, I explained that I'd impaled myself on one of my dpns, whilst trying to access the shop's dustpan and brush. "Oh but that's incredible" he replied (totally throwing me, I was expecting either "that serves you right" or some sympathy) and then he continued "I impaled myself on on of your needles, too" (he's been doing a lot of rearranging of furniture and belongings, following recarpeting in our bedroom). It turns at that the accidents happened at about the same time!

So now we're palm mates as well as soul mates (groan!)

Fresh from my cauldron

Oh Liz, what have you started? Now, thanks to you (and a few dyes from Art Van Go), I can wave a magic wand and turn anaemic stash yarns into glowing jewels!

A(nother) GRAND DAY OUT

Goodness, I'm growing to love Saturdays. Today was probably the best yet. Today had almost all my favourite things in it: a picnic, a ramble, Graham, friends, yarn, colour (lots of colour), cake...

Shortly before midday, Graham and I caught a bus to Chesterton, then strolled down to the river Cam. We picnicked on a bench near the Penny Ferry Inn then set out along the riverside path to Waterbeach. The first stretch of the walk is busy; lots of walkers/joggers/cyclists on the path and several rowing eights being coached on the river. But once past Baits Bite Lock (how I love that name) the path is narrower and both river and riverside traffic tend to be lighter. From this point on we had some amazing wildlife sightings: shrews in search of insects, Great Crested Grebe, Herons, dragonflies... Bliss. We left the river near Waterbeach station and then headed off to the village green where (following a swift drink in a pub) we parted company: Graham headed home, whilst I went to a wonderful dyeing workshop in Liz 's kitchen.

This was the best fun I've had in ages. Along with other KTog members, I got to dab bright colours onto a skein of bluefaced leicesterr sock yarn and to sample one of the best cakes I've ever eaten (special thanks to blogless Carole). I'm told that Anne's gluten-free muffins were great too, but I'm trying to eat less now that I have a lazier lifestyle!

It was so exciting when our yarns emerged from the clingfilm cocoons in which we'd steamed them. There were rainbows (both muted and vivd), peacock colours, sophisticated blends of blue, purple and grey and one laceweight, in particular, was just just downright dazzling (step forward Jayne).
As if all this hadn't been enough, Liz then directed us along to a local potter who had her studio open. I fell in love with an oakleaf bowl and spoon, and with some of her plates. But, alas, I had a train to catch!

Now I'm eagerly waiting for my skein of yarn to dry and looking forward to a few days at work, followed by a K Tog on Tuesday night, a day on an intermediate crochet course at our local John Lewis store on Wednesday and then, I hope, visits to more open studios next weekend.

THE FLYING AUNTIE RIDES AGAIN

(excuse the capitals, but for reasons known only to Blogger, I can no longer access the subject line of posts!)

Now, on to "The Flying Auntie" aka me. Time was when I lived far closer to my sister and (being naught but a Master's student with a terribly part-time job) I could visit her at the drop of a hat. That's when I became The Flying Auntie, there to nurse small chicken-pox-stricken niecelets, to attend sports days and carol services and many other delights. And now, The Flying Auntie is back. This week I "flew" (that's "flying" as in taking assorted buses and coaches!) to a musical evening and a teddy bears' picnic at the village school my younger niece attends. The musical evening was fun (the novice violinists did rather stretch the definition of "musical" but my niece's oboe solo was great) but my sister banned me from taking my crochet. Niecelet, however, positively encouraged me to take the crochet (as well as Lynda, my 46-year old teddy!) to the picnic. As I hoped, younger niece was very intrigued by the crochet and particularly likes the look of the granny square diagrams in the booklet I bought last weekend...I feel some teaching coming on, and have been asked to come back soon.

the great Norfolk yarn crawl

This is all Graham's fault. He tried to convince me that today would be too wet for the seaside, so I decided that I'd spend most of today in Norwich and then just take a train to Sheringham without alighting, so that I could get a glimpse of the sea, and maybe even a sniff of the sea but no more. (Believe me, though, if you grew up near the coast you can get serious withdrawal symptoms). Well, as you may have gathered from the previous post, I spent rather longer in Sheringham, after all as I had all but bankrupted myself in Norwich. For Norwich is, gentle reader, the home of Norfolk Yarns, stockists of Noro, Kaalund and other great temptations. It is but a brief bus ride from the City centre. It is all too easy to spend lots of time and even more money. In fact, to guard against temptation I rembered some advice I read in a diet book many, many moons ago. To whit: if you keep your house well stocked with biscuits, you won't crave them. So when I left the house this morning I made sure that I had a knitting project, a crochet project and spare yarn and needles/hooks for sudden creative impulses. So I wouldn't need to buy anything.

So much for the theory. I think today's stash enhancement has outstripped even the dizzy heights I reached at SkipNorth last year. I have silk, I have alpaca, I have merino. I have handpaint, I have tweed. I have addi bamboo circulars. I have a new book of crochet instructions which includes diagrams for left-handers, as well as right (I have a decidedly left-handed niece coming to stay and want to get her hooked). And I still crave biscuits, but that's another story.

Somehow I tore myself away. Only then I ended up at stall 144 on Norwich market. Guess what? 200gms of James Brett marble chunky (in lime and lilac) for £2.95. And other, more expensive things.

Clearly, it was time to head for the beach and hope that the sea air would blast this yarn lust away. But still there was time to while away before heading to the station. Surely Waterstones would be safe? How was I to know that they had Stefanie Japel's Fitted Knits. (None of the bookshops in Cambridge does). Now normally I'd be concerned about sneaking so much conspicuous consumption past Graham. But he's at a college commemoration feast tonight (class of '67).

One scenic hour later (with much crocheting accomplished) I arrived in the (supposed) safety of Sheringham. Alas, I had forgotten that the only way from the station to the seafront goes past Creative Crafts. And they stock Bryspun ivore needles. (And also, alas, the most irresistible Regia yarn in firey reds with glimmers of green and flashes of yellow). (oh, and cute "knitting bee" kits consisting of yellow pompon makers and French knitting dollies striped yellow and black; and--oh, look!--a flower loom. I used to have fun of those when I was a teenager and my teenagedniece is coming to stay, as well as the lefthanded niece).

Help, quick, to the seafront. Sanity restored, I had to head home but not without stopping for fishcake and chips. And a glance in the remaindered book shop (how was I to know that they'd have a bargain Harmony Guide to Crochet?). and the chips left me thirsty so I had to go to the newsagent to get a bottle of water. Was it my fault they had the lastest issue of Crochet today?

(ggrrrr, blogger appears to have eaten up the links I've added, each time I've saved the draft.)

Sheringham seascape (purple prose alert)

Even before I reached the seafront I could tell it was high tide; the sea makes an altogether more percussive sound when the water is swirling over pebbles rather than sand. But there is nothing stacatto about its rhythm, rather there is a swirling chatter.

This was the North Sea in true English summer mode...mainly shades of brown, grey, muddy green and (eventually, at the horizon)indigo. As the waves retreated they left white foam but the breakers rushing in were tipped with shades of coffee and oyster.

The waves left an undulating pattern on the pebbles, think of the curve at the top of a lolly stick alternating with a truncated, straight edge. And as the waves drew back they left cockle shell patterns, veined with ecru foam, in the curved sections. That was the view from above. Later, (quite a bit later, the sound is so hypnotic) strolling a few yards away and looking on sideways it became clear that the "lolly sticks" were actually gullies which the waves had cut through the pebbles.

you realise just how wet it is when...

...you arrive home to find a frog on your doorstep, sheltering from the rain!

laughing in the museum

This week has been (almost) busy. Heavy rain on Monday turned our back garden into a lake (to the utter bewilderment of our cat) and our the contents of garage (which, being a zero car family, we use for storage)had to be hastily re-arranged as water started to flow in... but we got off very lightly compared to many in the midlands and the north. Tuesday night was KTog night. Wednesday (usually a day off) saw me at work for the stocktake, although I did escape for an hour to have lunch with my parents who were in Cambridge for the day. There was more stocktaking on Thursday afternoon (I was spared in the morning so that I could do my turn on the Cambridge Country Market--the organisation formerly known as the Cambridge WI Market-- stall and was delighted to do a roaring trade in my crocheted broochers and corsages).

I had planned to head off to the coast today (to Sheringham and Cromer, about 3 hours away by train) but overslept rather drastically. Tried to do some knitting but it kept going wrong. Well, I suppose to be fair it was me who kept going wrong, not the knitting, but I got really rather fed up with the yarn and needles and so hopped on a bus into town with no plans whatsoever at all. Somehow, I ended up here,where I had a wonderful time just using the "follow your nose wherever it goes" principle. And after some old favourites (cermaic, Italian religious paintings) I ended up in a gallery full of Howard Hodgkin's most recent paintings. And, forgetting all museum-goer's etiquette, I burst out laughing. For Hodgkin's later paintings are broad strokes of vivid colour, textural paint extending onto the frames. Whilst they look quick and spontaneous I noticed that several had dates like "1999-2003". Hmm, is all that texture to do with painting over previous compostions? One picture, in particular, has lots of horizontal bands of colour but then, about a third of the way in from the right, there is an angry vertical band of dark grey. Happily the only other person in the gallery was an attendant and she shared my amusement. Like me, she loved the colours but wasn't sure that she exactly "got" the paintings. But she drew my attention to the wonderful titles. I particularly liked "Old Books". Once I'd seen the title what had previously been just a load of horizontal brush strokes (the rather scratchy ones you get when your brush isn't terrribly well loaded with paint and the bristles are in annoying clumps) really did look like a stack of books.

After that I found a room with a selection of 22 satirical engravings, showing the way the English and French stereotyped each other in (more or less) the 18th century. So: starving Frenchmen roasting frogs on spits outside a pub called "The Roayl Clog" (apparently all French peasants wore clogs) and English ladies in poke bonnets looking most frumpy compared to the elegant French. One English soldier was depicted with a barrel of beer round his neck, possibly the earliest depiction of a British lager lout?

I think I'll have to go back and take another look! Am now planning to head off to the coast tomorrow, though I fear rain may stop play...

I could get used to this...

Sorry about recent silence, having problems with boradband, mainly involving the 15m extension cable between our 'phone socket and this computer...

However, I've been busy getting the hang of working part-time. Lots of outings, lots of crochet, lots of reading (have found "How to Be Free" and "how to be Idle" by Tom Hodginkson particularly useful!) and lots of playing with the camera.

Highlights have been the Cambridge Knitting Group joining Bury St Edmunds Stitch'n'Bitch for a picnic in The abbey Gardens, Bury St E on worldwide knitting in public day and spending this morning processing through Ely to celebrate St Etheldreda's Day. Every so often the procession halted for delightful music (hymns, Mendhelsson, medieval tunes, Andrew LLoyd Webber)and dramatised scenes from St Etheldreda's life. When we reached St E's shrine a very touching death scene was followed by a rousing rendition of "When the Saints Go Marching In". After that, Graham took communion and I went and sat crocheting near the Cathedral entrance.

Bus tickets, Saturday

Just a thought: if you're using stagecoach buses for your journey on Saturday, ask for a "dayrider plus" on the first bus you get on, as it will cover your local journeys, as well as Cambridge-Bury St Edmunds.

Bury St Edmunds knitting picnic (more details)

I'm getting *very* excited about this! It is open to anyone who'd like to come along and knit (suspect I'm going to be taking some crochet, actually) and is taking place at the Abbey Gardens from noon-2pm on Sat 9 June. The place to be is "just inside the main gate, to the right", but I imagine all you need do is listen out for the laughter (if KTogs are anything to go by...).

I'm going to go even if it is pouring with rain, in which case maybe we could meet at the appointed place and then find pubs/cafes to invade.

Meantime, I enjoyed the first day in my new job but am going to have to unlearn lots of procedures. Today was a day off, though. I quickly got the hang of that! I'd been promising myself a trip to Ely since I last went 2 years ago. It is littered with benches in picturesque settings, so there was a great deal of sitting and reading (current reading material "How to Be Free" by the editor of the Idler), a long spell in Ely Cathedral (my favourite part is the newest, the passageway to the Lady Chapel), and rather more retail therapy than is wise on a part-timer's budget. In the cathedral giftshop I found a marvellous little volume on geometry in churches, just crying out to be used in conjunction with Pat Ashforth and Steve Plummer's work over at Woolly Thoughts (sorry, no links this evening as 'phone line is in a very bad mood, and internet connection lasts only seconds). In Toppings Bookshop (which has, incidentally, a better poetry and lit crit section than any shop in Cambridge) I finally found a copy of a weighty tome on Shops and shopping in Engalnd (an architectural study by an employee of English Heritage, that I've been looking out for for some 3 years). And the Ely City Cycle Centre (which does quadruple duty as a purveyor of toys, models and craft equipment, as well as bikes) had some rather tempting hemp yarn (for crochet and macrame) in yummy colours at £1.10 for 71m... All this on a day when a book that I'd totally forgotten that I'd pre-ordered (Nicky Epstein's latest: the lamely titled Knit Never Felt Better) arrived. It has some great ideas but I feel that it has too many illustrations and-- what a con-- many pictures of items using felted knitting have captions saying "Vogue pattern XZZZX". Still, I can see I'm going to have lots of fun with the Shibori section. Husband was heard to mutter, "at last, a use for Rosie's marble collection". Hmm, I get the feeling that he's tired of dusting it (I do keep it in a jar, rather than having them arranged on a tray).

newsflash!

Sorry about the silence of late, but read on and all will become clear.

Today was my last day in my current job and I start a new (part-time) post on Monday. Much as I loved my previous job, the wretched twisty stairs and box-lugging were playing havoc with my knees and ankles and some of the work I'd really enjoyed was no longer needed (thus increasing the proportion of box shifting!). Frustratingly, I leave my previous employer just at the point when I think business is going to soar, but I value my legs and sleep too much to rue this day.

Now I'm planning to catch up with my (neglected) family and friends and go places and do things (will just have to watch new, reduced, income..) And I can get this blog up-to-date with tales of South Africa, patchwork knitting in Marlow, a new technique from Horst Schulz, and the chance to join with the Bury St Edmunds Stitch'n'Bitch on worldwide knitting in public day on 9 June.

Watch this space (if I've any readers leaft after such a long pause...)

a hitherto unexpected talent

we interrrupt details of caught knitting's South African oddysey to bring you rather astonishing news...I appear to have found a sport at which I ain't half bad, the first time this has happened since I won form 2G's 220 yards heats in 1974...

had to go to an area meeting today and it concluded with tenpin bowling. am still feeling lousy, so almost said "no", but have always had a secret hankering to try. Got a strike on my third go, followed by either a 9 or a strike on all except one subsequent go (a miserable 8, followed by 1, so it still added up to 9). I was only bowling at about 5-6mph but just got the knack of bowling straight down the middle!

OK; I'm going to stick my trumpet back in its box now and snatch an early night!

Durban Days

Well, whilst the Von Trapp family might advocate that you "start at the very beginning, the very best place to begin" I've decided to bypass details of our outward journey* and leap straight in to our first few days in South Africa, which we spent in Graham's birthplace: Durban, a coastal city in KwaZulu Natal.

Since I have never managed to master getting multiple photos to appear at the right point in any post I've decided to do lots of tiny weeny posts, with just a pic or 2 each. This probably means that the posts themselves will be in a rather strange order (germ-fuddled brain too dozy to try to think this through) but at least relevant pictures should be with relevant text!

Just to set the scene: most of our time in Durban consisted of socialising and visiting such important sites as "the house where we used to live", "another house where we used to live", "where I went to school", "another school I went to", "where my mother went to school". I do not, alas have a photographic record of either the socialising or the landmarks. But what I have captured are images of a wonderful "wildside of Durban" tour put together by Graham's friend Dave and lots of flora and fauna images from Durban Botanical Gardens and Mitchell Park. the picture with this post is of one of the many trees I fell in love with in the Botanical Gardens. I also fell in love with the crumpets (NB for non-South African readers, "crumpets" are not those lovely doughy things riddled with holes for soaking up maximum quantities of butter, no, South African crumpets are what my mother would call a "scotch pancake" and I would call a "drop scone". Follow this link if you want to read more about this muddled nomenclature. No matter what they're called, in the Botanical Gardens they are served warm, with maple syrup and cream. And you get 2 on a plate!)

If I were to try and encapsulate my memories of Durban in just a few words I'd say "humidity, birdsong, monkeys and fruit bat". Every evening as we dined with Denzil and Bobby we could see a fruit bat swooping around outside!

*fear not, gentle reader, you will get to read about the air traffic control strike at Paris Charles de Gaulle, but probably not for another couple of days...

ho(a)rse flu?

Thanks for all your get well messages. Anne, does cider count as "lots of fluids"? (NB this is just wishful thinking on my part, current drug of choice is lemsip max).

Twice this morning (before voice totally vanished and I was forced to return home) I had people say "ooh, a spring cold, they're nasty they are, hard to get rid of". First time I just fumed silently but the second time I had a bright thought: "I imported these germs from South Africa, so it is an Autumn cold, not a Spring one!". Ha! But then my very dear colleague said "you haven't got South African horse 'flu have you? Mum was just telling me that there's a big outbreak of horse 'flu and its like bird 'flu." Am happy to relate that whilst I may be decidedly hoarse I didn't have anything to do with horses whilst away. I did get quite close to same tame zebras, though... (Perhaps I should also point out that I'm not aware of horse 'flu being transmitted to humans, although mosquitoes are the vector and I have some rather dazzling bites!)

More bizarrely still, twice within the last 24 hours I've had people telling me how pretty I look! This is unheard of. Clearly the lank, greasy hair/no make-up/red rimmed eyes and slightly fevered flush look is coming back into fashion. (Don't think anyone of my build could be called consumptive, but do feel that there's an echo of Victorian novels here). Or maybe it is because the last 3 weeks (holiday and bug) have forced me to rest?

Now I'm off to cough...
(ps post edited to add pic of tame zebras!)

suspended animation

Grr, have been felled by germs. Had to give up on work yesterday afternoon and have just escaped from bed for first time in 24 hours. It must be about 3 years since I last felt as grotty as this...

Will aim to upload pix on Tuesday now. Meantime Laura (Graham's daughter) has been working away on this computer all day as her laptop has died. She's planning to buy a reconditioned one tomorrow.

the travel socks are off...

Feeling more than a little tired after a 23+ hours in transit but just wanted to report that I'm back in the UK after 2 weeks meeting Graham's family and friends in South Africa. Amazing hospitality from so many people (we stayed with Denzil, Bobby, Jenny, Colin and Mary and enjoyed a memorable meal and drinking/old photograph viewing session with Aunt Earna). Spectacular scenery and wildlife (am intending to upload inadequate pix and info on Sunday). But most of all I want to thank Graham for tipping his friends off about my passions: crafts and wildlife. As a result of this David took us on a whirlwind tour of Durban's nature reserves with lunch at a craft gallery thrown in; Kay drove us through the Valley of 1000 hills and took me to the yarn shop in Hillcrest (have some lovely new yarn to report); Bill and Mary took us to Umgeni Valley (zebra, hartebeest, blasbok), and St John (who shared our trip to the Drakensberg mountains) made sure that we took in some fabulous shops/workshops on the way there and back (beads, embroidery). alert readers will notice that one of my top interests is missing; South African cider is, alas, underwhelming with only 2 brands widely available. Their flavour seemed to have more in common with lager than apples. So I enjoyed gin & tonic in the mountains!

Pics, links and info should start to appear here from Sunday onwards...

still here!

Sorry about silence on the blog front of late... am back on dial-up (so please excuse lack of links and pix) whilst trying to sort out some broadband "issues". Moreover I've been battling killer toothache and neck problems.

But I've been enjoying lots of good things, too: a favourite colour secret pal swap, SkipNorth (the infamous "knitting and shopping" retreat in Yorkshire) and several bottles of Old Rosie Scrumpy (courtesy of WyeSue my scrumpy enabler!)

The favourtie colour swap was huge fun. I was being spoiled by Holly in Auburn, who sent me the most gorgeous blue heron "railtrack" yarn in dark reds with highlights of grey/blue/purple plus patterns and --best of all-- a brooch knitted in mohair with tiny miniature knitting needles. But I was spoling someone far closer to home: Marianne lives in Cambridgeshire and I had a wonderful time finding treats for her. Better still, as well as a beautiful thank you card, she dropped in to see me on Saturday. What a fabulous surprise.

And as for SkipNorth...Woohoo. It was wonderful.. I set off with a very strict yarn budget and came home with 57p change fro, it. But most esciting of all, I now have a wonderful array of colourful crochet hooks which I discovered at Lee MIll (near Holmfirth) HQ of the Knitting & Crochet guild. Am itching to use these (and my lovely new yarns) but have realised that I need to knit up some sample garments for the patchwork knitting course I'm teaching for Crafty Events (in marlow, second w/end of May). So glad that I've only promised baby/child size ones.

Ouch! This is clearly enough typing for tonight. Hope to have Broadband re-established soon and will then be able to show pix of colourswap goodies, SkipNorth haul etc.