The Eve of the Year

Merry Christmas to you all. Sorry that December didn't see me writing much, but I've been really busy finishing (and in some cases starting) the handmade Christmas gifts that everyone got this year. Mum loved her Shalom cardigan, Dad wore his Danica for a Boxing Day stroll with the dogs, Rich certainly seemed chuffed with his Deathflake Simple Pleasures hat, and I'm hoping that Amanda will put her bookcover into action when she starts her new job in January. Luckily, everyone seems to have really liked their presents, which was a huge relief!

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were spent with my family at my sister's house and we ate like absolute kings! Amanda really went to town - she even handmade our crackers! (I think that Rich, her husband, might have helped with mine as my cracker gift was a pair of raw Brussels sprouts! There was also a lovely blue teapot brooch from Folksy, which came after I'd enjoyed the sprouts.) On Boxing Day, David and I headed down the A1 to visit his twin, his wife and their five-year-old boy. We're finally back home and enjoying the peace and quiet of a few days off before we go back to work in the new year. New Year's Eve itself will probably be spent curled up on the sofa at home. I should probably start thinking about some resolutions. Hmmm.

David bought me the beautiful Janome sewing machine that you can see on the right. What a thoughtful gift. This has, of course, has meant that a trip to John Lewis in Southampton to purchase a pattern and some fabric. I'm really looking forward to getting started, and I'm also looking forward to making something for myself for a change! I've chosen a pattern for a dress and a t-shirt that look as if they should (hopefully) be quite easy. Some lightweight denim for the dress and a rather fabulous retro print for the top. I'll take photos as I go along, so watch this space...

Well, Christmas has been and gone and it's time to look forward to the forthcoming year as well as to reflect on the year that has nearly passed. All in all, I'd say it's been a pretty good year; a happy year with lots to treasure and celebrate. It's been a creative year for me and I've enjoyed working on numerous projects, whether they be knitting, crochet, jewellery making or needlecraft. I've loved exploring Etsy and starting my own online shop on Folksy. At work I continue to help produce some of the most beautiful books and I've been lucky enough to be promoted too. The recognition means a great deal to me. I've had a couple of great holidays in Cornwall and Tuscany and I've read some wonderful books. I've been delighted to watch my best friend meet the man of her dreams and fall in love. And I'm thrilled that my sister has finally left her ghastly job for pastures new! Mum and Dad have been out and about on their travels, helping people wherever they go. And David continues to be David - clever, thoughtful, funny and wonderful. So here's to friends and family, and everyone out there - may next year be everything that you hope it will be.

When Knitting Goes Bad...

I do like to keep this blog as positive as I can, but sometimes it's just not possible, and as far as knitting is concerned, this week has been one of those that I would really rather forget! Last Sunday with the Poultry Cross Knitters I quickly finished up Mum's Christmas present, and then spent the rest of the session doing one row on the Lacy Tea Top and then unknitting it after realising that I'd made yet another mistake. (Sigh!) On Wednesday, feeling more optimistic I took it in for my regular knitting club at work, only to find myself making yet another mistake. Determined not to have a top with holes in all the wrong places (and being a bit of a perfectionist) I decided to very gently unravel the whole thing on the way home, only to discover that Kidsilk Haze really does not like to be unravelled. Cue a spot of yarn-rage, quite a bit of frustration and what you see in the photo to the left is the result. Grrr! The good news is that I was visiting my sister this weekend, so could buy a replacement ball and I've got straight back on the needles and have cast on the same project yet again.

I also bought some lovely soft Rowan Cocoon, which will hopefully be turning into a skull beanie for my brother-in-law. I've found a really nice pattern on Ravelry (which I think I'll just be able to enlarge) and a seriously cool motif chart from Reliquary Arts. Just need to cast on and get started now.

At work, the Walker Books Christmas Craft Fair was a resounding success and I sold a very respectable number of bracelets, rings, earrings and brooches, and received orders for a further three rings. Between the ten of us selling we raised over £60.00 for Shelter, so that was something that I think we should all be proud of.

All knitting disasters aside, I have had a really lovely weekend starting with a visit to my sister on Friday night to vote for my brother-in-law's locksmith-decorated tree at her local parish Christmas Tree Festival, followed by a trip to the pub and a leisurely morning spent wandering about the village, taking in the knitting shop, the tea-shop and a newly opened florist – a very gentle start to the weekend! One last treat of the week was a super Sunday lunch at the Carnarvon Arms, a wonderful pub near Vodaville. Just lovely, but four hours later, I am still feeling quite full!

It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas

Buttons, buttons, buttons! I've been being buttony non-stop for the last couple of weeks. We've got a Christmas Craft Fair at work this week, so I've been building up supplies of stock in preparation. It's on Tuesday and has been organized by the Walker Creative Group (of which I'm part) for Walker staff to sell their craft to colleagues. We're holding it in the canteen over lunchtime and will give 10% of our profits to the homeless charity Shelter. For my part of the fair I've made eight new bracelets, two brooches, two rings and eight pairs of earrings. The earrings are a new line, and I'm delighted with how well they've turned out. I've also had a commission from my best friend to make two button bouquets for the flower girls at her wedding in April - hoorah!

Other great news is that (thanks to my pal Andy) I've discovered Folksy, a UK version of Etsy, so I've opened up an online shop called as cute as buttons. I've only listed a few items so far, but do please visit my shop and forward a link to as many people as you can!

Aside from the buttons, I am still knitting and at today's Poultry Cross Knitters KIP, I just finished Mum's Shalom cardigan, so all I need to do is block it ready for Christmas. On the needles right now, all I have is my Study Blanket and the Lacy Tea Top (which is frustrating me no end!) so I think it might be time to cast on something new...

Happy Holidays

D and I are just back from a rather wonderful week in Cornwall. We were pretty lucky with the weather and although it was cold, it was clear and just about the perfect weather for wandering along deserted beaches and staring wistfully out at the sea. As you can see from the photo, my Flicca cardigan got its very first outing in public, accompanying me to St Ives where we took in the sea air and visited The Dark Monarch exhibition at the Tate Gallery. We also stuffed our faces with the most delicious pasties and I took a series of photos of the boats in the harbour and the beautiful beach. Other days out included The National Seal Sanctuary at Gweek, Sennen Cove, a trip on the King Harry Ferry to St Mawes, a visit to Boscastle and a morning wandering around the gardens of the National Trust property at Trelissick.

My absolutely favourite place to visit in Cornwall though has to be Trevaunance Cove in St Agnes. It is always beautiful and on this occasion it was just stunning. It was really quite wild while we were there and D and I wandered around the sands taking photos of the magnificent waves. Talk about mean, moody and magnificent. Very romantic, too.

While we were away, I took full use of the amenities where we were staying and swam every day we were away. I also racked up nearly 20k on the treadmill in the gym, which I thought was a pretty good effort! I optimistically took about ten books with me, but only had the time to read a couple - Small Wars by Sadies Jones and Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger, which were both perfect holiday reading. I also started The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, which I'm hoping will be a grower, as I'm not loving it as much as I'd hoped.

Due to the curious length of the Cornish mile, I really got stuck into Mum's Christmas present, the Shalom cardigan. Every time we were in the car going somewhere, I whipped out the needles and notched up a couple more rows. The pattern was made for someone six feet tall, so I'm having to take out a whole bunch of rows - hopefully it's still in proportion. I shall have to have a trying on session and check that it's not ended up completely wonky!

Now that Christmas is getting closer, I've opened up my button box again and started working on some new bracelets to sell at the Walker Books Christmas Craft Fair. I invested in some new buttons from Pavi Yarns online store, which is particularly good as you can buy in much smaller quantities than some other retailers, which means I can experiment a bit more without having to invest to heavily. I'd already been comissioned for four little bracelets from Lucy at work for her nieces, and it's been really lovely making them up. Here's an example of one of the new ones that I've made up - hope you like it!

Autumn Glory

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”
Albert Camus

We’ve had another warm and mellow autumn weekend, so D and I packed up a picnic and paid a visit to Stourhead to admire the beautiful autumn colours. It was the busiest that we’ve ever seen it, but that did nothing to diminish the beauty of the place. I feel really lucky that we have such a wonderful National Trust property within such a short drive. And I’m glad that we really do get to make the most of it.

On the needles, I am back on track with my lacy tea top. It’s still not quite perfect on one row, but it is close enough (and I don’t think that I could bear to undo it yet again)! Luckily, the mistake is on the back of the top, near the bottom, so I’m hoping that no one will notice, and I shall try very hard not to point it out!

My sister’s Toasties are also coming along nicely, and should be finished by the next time I post. This is fortunate as A and I have decided on Mum’s Christmas present this year and it is to be the lovely Shalom cardigan by Meghan, published on her lovely blog Involving the Senses. I’ve chosen some wool from Pavi Yarns. It’s a Louet Riverstone Chunky in the fabulously named Foxy Fucshia. I shall be casting on just as soon as the wool gets through the postal strike. Grrr!

Knitting-a-go-go!

Since my last post I have been to not one, not two, but three knitting groups. Firstly, there's the regular Wednesday knitting club at work (aka the Walker Books Knitting Club) and then we had an extraordinary session at Bou Tea, which was basically the Walker Knitters, plus Gemma who defected to a printers last month. Third, and by no means last, on the list is The Poultry Cross Knitters who meet up on the first Sunday of the month (whether there's a Gradnd Prix or not) at the Poultry Cross in the centre of Salisbury.

Now, you would think that having been to three knitting groups in the last two weeks would have led to an enormous volume of knitting taking place, wouldn't you? Well, yes, you would, but it turns out that the lovely lace pattern I'm working on right now is just that little bit too complicated for me to manage whilst talking at the same time. This means that I have knit and unknit, knit and unknit the same piece twice, and I am still not back to where I was a fortnigth ago. Bleurgh!

On the up side, I have now finished the lovely Milo, as you can see from the picture! He's absolutely gorgeous and a really fun project to have worked on. I'm only sorry that I shan't be able to keep him. (Although I know he'll be very happy with Corinne.) I sent a couple of photos of Milo to Jan Fearnley (his creator, as author, illustrator and pattern designer, and a very talented lady to boot) and she was delighted with him. She kindly gave her permission for me to list the pattern on Ravlery, so check him out here to make your very own Milo to love, cuddle and enjoy.

I've also cast on a pair of wristwarmers for my sister in the Maya that I bought at Jolie. I was going to make another pair of Fetchings, but I have rather fallen for a beautiful Toast-inspired pattern by Leslie Friend. Her blog a friend to knit with is delightful, and I suspect that this is another project I'm going to end up wanting to keep...


Away from the needles, I am still enjoying the great autumnal weather. Last weekend, I took a stroll up to Clarendon Palace (the medieval hunting lodge of the kings of England), where I met this rather cheeky fellow and five of his pals! And this weekend I've been following Salisbury Art Trail, which is held annually. There are five homes and venues within a stone's throw of my house and it's wonderful that people open their doors to make art available to all. I have also been enjoying listening to The Resistance by Muse and reading The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters, both of which I can't recommend highly enough.

A Lovely Weekend

This weekend started on a great note with a delicious dinner at The Beckford Arms in Fonthill Gifford, near Tisbury. It's only a 25 minute drive from Salisbury, and well worth it. A glass of Garnacha, a goat's cheese and spinach souffle followed by another glass and a wonderful plate of cheese and biscuits. Yum yum! The pub itself is gorgeous and has a really nice atmosphere. It has quite recently changed hands and I was a teeny bit worried that it might not have been quite as good as it has been on previous visits. I am hugely relieved to say that this is not the case and I'm really looking forward to our next visit.

Saturday started early with a short drive out to Nomansland in the New Forest to drop the Volvo off for a quick service. D and I took the opportunity to take a delightful walk in the early morning sunshine through the trees and commons, coming across ponies, cows and these two rather lovely horses. (D took the photo on his iPhone as I didn't have my camera with me.) The early morning sunlight breaking through the clouds was so beautiful I wish I could be sharing it with you, but I don't think my photography skills are quite up to the level that would do justice to such an amazing sight.

After a relatively painless service we poppped down to Southampton for a spot of shopping (thanks ever so much Mum!) and a trip to Goldsmiths to get the mechanisms and bracelets of two members of the watch collection swapped over. Both watches have benefitted hugely and D is simply delighted! The afternoon was spent watching the Grand Prix qualifying from Singapore, snoozing and reading, then out for a run before gorging on D's macaroni cheese. Double yum again! Sunday, so far, has included a lie-in with my book, a bike ride and a spot of knitting whilst watching Formula One. Some weekends are just full of goodness, and this is one of them!

I've cast on a new project this week, with some beautiful Rowan Kidsilk Haze. It's the Lace Top by Erika Knight from Glamour Knits that was also published in the first episode of The Knitter magazine. It's fairly strightforward, but the lace pattern makes it a bit more challenging that just a standard knit. I had to do a little bit of unravelling as I managed to get the lace wrong on the first attempt, but I'm back on track now. It might take a while, but it's a great yarn and a great pattern, and I think it'll make a beautiful top that I will wear very happily! I've also picked up my blanket again, which seems entirely appropriate as we move further into autumn. Nothing is as snug as sitting on the sofa curled up in front of the autumn scheduling knitting a big warm blanket!

A Couple of FOs and a Comment on the Season

Sorry it's been a while since my last post. I've been a bit busy and have been out and about enjoying the last of the summer sunshine. I do love autumn and winter, but I shall miss the luxury of all those hours of daylight. It's now dark when my alarm sounds in the morning and by the end of this week I suspect it'll be dark by the time I get home from work. Oh well, I suppose I shall just have to adjust and get used to it. I think that this is the time of year that we all need to take a little extra care of ourselves and not get run down. (Something which I failed to do miserably this week and ended up with two days spent in bed.)

However, all gloominess aside, I have managed to get a fair bit of knitting done over the last three weeks. I've finished Milo the Armadillo, all bar some squiggly black lines on his back. My Fetchings are looking, well, fetching! And I've blocked my great big grey Flicca and it's drying out on the floor of my study waiting to be finished with some beautiful pink and silver velvet ribbon that I bought from Jolie, the LYS in my sister's village, last weekend. I also got a skein of pale blue Debbie Bliss Maya in the sale, which might just turn into another pair of fetchings for Amanda...

I had a lovely weekend with my sister, her husband and their three adorable dogs. We did a bit of window shopping, had a lovely lunch at the village tea-shop and took the dogs out for some nice long walks before we were joined by D and our parents for a lovely boozy dinner!

I know it's not knitting, but I'm incredibly proud that I have finally finished the Clothkits traffic skirt that my wonderful sister gave me for Christmas. I've worn it to work and I can't tell you how much I enjoyed it when people asked where I got it from and I could reply "I made it myself!" Here are couple of pictures so that you can enjoy it yourselves!

Nothing But Blue Skies

Just back from a really lovely afternoon spent at our local National Trust property, Stourhead. D and I started off with a super picnic in our own private part of the garden in the sunshine right by the side of the big house. We followed this with a long leisurely stroll around the lake and grounds, taking in the grotto and the temple, admiring the ducks and watching the fish basking in the sun. Some of the volunteers on the estate were doing some clearance work and had a little fire going - there really is nothing to beat the smell of woodsmoke. Gorgeous! We rounded it all off with a trip to The Spreadeagle for a nice quiet pint in beautiful surroundings. I've included a selection of pictures here from the afternoon, so you can see just how lovely it all was!


On the needles, I have cast on another new project since my last post. Now, I know that this is ever so slightly against my one in - one out policy but Dad's Danica is so nearly finished that I just thought it wouldn't hurt (just this once). It is completely worth it as I'm making a fabulous pair of Fetchings by Cheryl Niamath in Sublime Angora Merino. It is just so soft and fluffy. Delightful! The only problem is that the dpns I'm using are super-shiny and incredibly slippery! Add in the fact that there are four of them, and an additional cable needle to boot, and you can soon see how I managed to let not one, but two needles drop under my seat on the train journey home last night! In spite of this, I'm really rather proud of my first attempt at cabling and I can't wait to wear them!

Some Enchanted Evening

If you only go and see one movie this summer, then it must be Coco Avant Chanel. It is an incredible and inspiring film. Okay, so it helps that it's a biography of one of the Twentieth Century's most amazing women - Coco Chanel was brave, bold and at least fifty years ahead of her time. But the film is so much more than just a celebration of her early life, it is beautiful. The actresses and actors were wonderful, the scenery stunning and the costumes just gorgeous. The scenes with Boy where they watch the fishermen bringing in their catch in Deauville made me wish more than ever that I lived by the sea. To have a glimpse of the things that inspired the designs of such a visionary creative, is enough to make you look at the world around you differently - and to look much harder for your own inspiration. I simply can't recommend it highly enough. It is perfection in a film!


In record time I have completed my latest project, which is just as well as its intended recipient is due to arrive this Wednesday. Good luck to Piney and Jez - I can't wait to meet the new addition to your family. I have now started on a Milo Armadillo, as created by the lovely Jan Fearnley, for my friend Corinne. It's quite an easy pattern, and it's really good fun, so hopefully this'll be another quickie. Especially as I bought some lovely dusky brown angora in the sale yesterday, which is just begging to be made into a pair of Fetchings. My plan of having a one in one out policy when it comes to knitting is working out suprisingly well. It seems to make me knit more quickly and appreciate my projects just that little bit more. Hoorah!

Messing About By the River

Today, I have a lovely change of scenery. I am sitting in very comfy armchair in the Garden Common Room of Henley Business School. As I type, I can look out of the (very impressive) bay window and gaze out over lawns to the Thames. There are swans on the water and the odd rower strokes past. A beautiful wooden motor cruiser with a red ensign has just purred along, while I’ve been describing the scene. Beautiful! I’m here for the day, while D gets a good amount of work done on his dissertation and I’ve got all of the comforts I could possibly need to while away a few hours.

I’ve got a couple of books; Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer and the third part in the Luxe series by Anna Godberson Envy. I’ve got tea and shortbread biscuits whenever I fancy and I’ve brought my knitting with me for a spot of gentle crafting. Dad’s Danica is all done bar the finishing and blocking and a little baby jumper for Piney and Jez’s imminent arrival just needs one more stripey sleeve before I sew it all together. I even have a DVD to watch later on my Mac in case I get bored of the good life! And yesterday’s crossword too! Really, what more could a girl want?

I’m going to pop into Henley itself in a while to get the makings of a picnic and grab a paper. Hopefully the sun will be out in a bit and I can spread a blanket out on the lawn for a spot of lazing in the sun.

A little bit later…
Well my wish came true and the sun has come out. I am now stretched out on a blanket as happy as a cat in the sunshine! We've had a lovely picnic lunch of bread and cheese, with cherry tomatoes and a crisp green apple. A steamboat has just gone past with a brass band playing Dixieland jazz! And I’ve taken the opportunity of taking a couple of photographs of my current projects out in the fresh air. Hope you like them!

Nice New Things

Christmas is coming early, and I've already started my first present project! It's the Danica pattern from Knitty that I was thinking about last week. Now, I usually find that scarves are just about the most boring thing in the world to knit, but this one is an entrelac scarf, and that makes it much more interesting. You only ever knit ten stitches at a time, and you really just have to trust in Jesse Loesberg's brilliant pattern without thinking too much about it, so that you get this...The other nice new thing in my life is a very exciting gadget for my iPod. It's called Nike+ and it is just about the most funky little gadget in the world. You simply plug it into the bottom of your iPod, go out for a run, plug your iPod into your laptop when you get back and it gives you a graph of how far you've been and how fast you've run. It's brilliant! It even tells you how you're getting on during your run. I can certainly see myself getting out and about more often. (And that's no bad thing at all!)

Finished Flicca

The day is finally here, and although I was beginning to think that it would never happen, I am delighted to announce that my Flicca cardigan is finally finished. It's taken just over fourteen months (in which time I have finished quite a few other projects) and I really think that it's been worth it. I still need to sew some velvet ribbon around the collar and rib to strengthen it and to tidy it up a bit, and I also need to block it. (I hope that the kitchen table is going to be big enough...) I'm really looking forward to wearing it, when the weather turns cooler. I can just picture myself curled up on the sofa in Flicca and my pyjamas with the cat and a good book!

This now means that having finished one project I can start another. I still have four balls left over from Flicca of the Sirdar Click, so I've just checked out on Ravelry what I could use them for and I think I've settled on a really interesting scarf from Knitty for my dad called Danica. I think that he'll really like it, and it looks a lot more interesting to knit up than a plain scarf.

I spent quite a lot of time yesterday looking for a new project for nine balls of Jaeger Matchmaker Merino 4ply. So far, it has attempted to become Ysolda Teague's beautiful Arisaig and a very pretty lace-knit tea top by Erika Knight, which was featured in the first issue of The Knitter magazine. I think that part of the problem is that the wool is so lovely and delicate that I really want it to turn into something that I am going to love to wear. I did find a gorgeous design by Helga Isager called Olive, but I just can't track the pattern down anywhere, so I guess I'm back to the drawing board. In the meantime, I shall keep on with the blanket for my study. It's probably going to take me another fourteen months to get this one finished (and goodness only knows how much wool) but it'll be very satisfying to make something so huge, and such a great stash-burner!
Speaking of which, I've really been enjoying a couple of knitting podcasts, most notably Stash and Burn by Jenny and Nicole, which is brilliant. It's really nice to hear people talking about patterns that I'm familiar with and their easy banter makes 20 minutes on the treadmill at the gym fly by! I've also liked Cast On by Brenda Dayne which is great. It's interesting, informative and unusually, it's recorded in the UK. Number one on my iPod (joint with BBC Radio 4's The Archers) has got to be Threadbanger. It is an absolutely brilliant video podcast that makes you want to make every single project that the feature. It's on twice a week but as far as I'm concerned if it was on everyday, that would be just fine!

I'll just round up this week with a couple of reading recommendations. The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon is every bit as good as The Shadow of the Wind, and is an intriguing thriller, that will definitely stand up to a second reading. I also read the second title in Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy The Girl Who Played with Fire which was almost as good as the first title, no mean feat as I loved the first title. One other series that I've really gotten stuck into over the last couple of weeks is the Mortal Instruments trilogy by Cassandra Clare, which gets a special mention for being gripping, glamorous and perfectly trashy! Brilliant!

Mostly Books and Picnics!

The last couple of weeks have been really lovely. I spent a wonderful Monday evening strolling up and down the Charing Cross Road choosing which lovely carft books I would spend my birthday book tokens on. After um-ing and ah-ing between Foyles and Borders I finally settled on Homemade by Ros Badger and Elspeth Thompson and The Crafter's Devotional by Barbara R. Call. I also got a little cookery book called 200 Cakes and Bakes by Sara Lewis, and I've already tried out the very tasty Oat and Ginger Crunchies - yum! The last addition to my crafty library is an absolutely super book called The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket. I'd seen it in my sister's local yarn store, but hadn't bought it and regretted not buying ever since. I was pretty sure that it would be a great way to spend my book tokens, but everywhere I looked it was sadly out of stock. Luckily, my brother-in-law was kind enough to go to Jolie and buy a copy for me. He even took the puppy in with him- I would've loved to have been a fly on that particular shopwall! It was definitely worth the ritual humiliation of my dear big brother as it is a brilliant book. Really funny and I feel as if it was written just for me - there's a whole page on the benefits of combining knitting, reading, wine and chocolate. Heaven!

I've also been to the library to top up on my reading for the train and in the last couple of weeks I've enjoyed The Girl on the Landing by Paul Torday. It's quite a dark tale of one man's life as he descends into mental illness, but it's told so eloquently and gently that you end up really rooting for Mikey and his wife, and I found myself wishing that the inevitable unhappy ending could somehow be avoided. I'm now reading a non-fiction title by Linda Grant who wrote The Clothes on Their Backs. It's a part biography, part history, part social commentary and all wonderful. If you have any interest at all in clothes and fashion heartily recommend The Thoughful Dresser even if, like me, you don't usually read much non-fiction.

There's been a picnic a week since I last blogged, one last Sunday at a local event called Parklife, which is held once a year in the field that used to contain the old swimming pool by my house. There was live music, charity stalls, ice-creams and everyone just brought their own food, wine and blankets to chill out on the grass. D and I were joined by Piney, Jez and Libby, and I swear, if I'd eaten just one more party ring, it all would have ended terribly! Piney and Jez gave me the rather adorable egg cosy that you can see in the photo, which I used this morning to keep my boiled egg cosy, while I took it back to bed with me! They also gave me some fab eggs that Dotty had laid. There's nothing better for breakfast than eggs from a chicken that you've actually met! They came in a fabulous decorated box and each one seemed to have something to say!

Picnic number two was on Friday when I met my mum, dad and sister on the Southbank for a delightful lunch. I'd taken the afternoon off work to spend some time with them and we had a brilliant trip on the London Eye in the sunshine followed by a stroll along the Embankment and afternoon tea at in the cafe of The Museum of Garden History, where we sat out until they had to run off and get their bus back to Gloucester. I can't think of a much lovelier way to spend a Friday afternoon.

On the crafty side (apart from doubling the size of my library!) I have just finished my first foray into the art of crochet. The Noe Noa scarf by Bente Barosen was surprisingly easy and I really enjoyed getting to grips with it. It's a really beautiful scarf and I look forward to wearing it when it starts getting a little bit cooler. The pattern is available on Ravelry so get clicking and rustle one up for yourself! I've also spend some quality time with my Traffic Skirt kit from Clothkits that my sister gave me for Christmas, so watch this space for a finished object in the next post... (Don't you just love my sense of optimism?!)

On a final note, I must say a huge congratulations to Mister Jeremy Whitworth on his 1000th blogpost. Check out his blog here for an insight into the creative genius/madness that is Jez!

Happy Birthday to Me!

I've had a particularly lovely couple of weeks since my last post, which included my birthday. I really do love a birthday (it doesn't have to be mine!) and I felt particularly special and really quite spoilt this year. The birthday started last Thursday with tea, cake and flowers at work and I still feel as if I'm celebrating as I'm yet to spend my birthday book tokens - this is always such a treat. I'm thinking about buying The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket, Homemade by Ros Badger or The Journey is the Destination by Dan Eldon.

My present from David was a swanky new iPod, which is now pretty much surgically attached! I've gone from being a podcast novice to a subscriber of not one, not two, but eight different podcasts. These range from The Archers to the Topshop fashion videocast. On the knitting front I am loving Stash and Burn, Let's Knit2gether and I am really quite hooked on Craft and Make (after the magazines). It's a whole new world out there and I love it! It had been looking a bit touch and go as my lovely little BabyMac laptop, at the tender age of five and a half, was looking too old to take the upgrade that would allow me to use my new Nano, but luckily a very kind IT guru from work found an old Tiger lying around and sneakily put it onto my computer. I am now the proud runner of OSX 10.4.11! Thanks, Mark! The Mustard colour iPod cosy was rustled up this afternoon, while watching cricket for the first time. India vs England in the ICC Twenty20 at Lord's. I am really quite surprised by how much I got into it!

I've also started a blanket for the sofa that will go into my study/studio when I finally finish the decorating and am ready to move in. It's based on the same pattern as the baby blanket that the Walker Knitting Club made for little Oscar. I love that it's all knit on one piece (not least as I hate finishing things off) and I'm going to be reducing my stash dramatically as a result! It's going to look pretty random as I'm using every shade of pink or red, regardless of how well they go together, but I think that will just add to its charm and it'll be just as warm to snuggle up into in the winter regardless of how much it clashes with itself! I'm slightly concerned about the size of the finished object - I'm guessing that after a while it'll be far to big to take in to Knitting Club! Speaking of which, Libby's mum made her an amazing birthday cake in the shape of a purple ball of wool, which Libby kindly left a chunk of on my kitchen table, so I shared the love and took it in for the knitters to share. Brilliant - I can't think of anything more perfect for a Squiblet birthday celebration!

I've Been Away...

I've just returned from a wonderful week in Tuscany, staying in a friend's stunning apartment in the hills 30k south of Pisa. It was at least 30˚c every single day and the pool was invitingly cool, although I did need to spend any time out of the water under a sun umbrella to avoid turning too pink!

The week was a lovely mix of day trips to Pisa, Volterra and Siena interspersed with days spent swimming and sitting by the pool, reading and soaking up the sun. Our first full day was spent in Pisa, which was much more beautiful than I was expecting. It was such a surprise to actually see the leaning tower it in all its glorious and it was simply amazing. Pisa was also the home of the tastiest ice creams, and we really did try the gelato in every town that we visited. We'd visited Volterra on our last Tuscan holiday, and it was as lovely as I remembered, and I treated myself to a copy of Stephenie Meyer's New Moon from a bookshop in the town as part of it is set in the ancient hill town. Siena was a new destination, and possibly my favourite. It's a very small town, but it is completely packed with history and culture. Siena was founded by the son of Remus and is made up of seventeen districts that compete in the two annual horse races held in Il Campo. I was particularly taken with the one which is represented by the snail, that you can see throughout that district on buildings and flags.

Non-adventuring days were spent relaxing by the pool that over looked the valley the apartment was located in. D worked very hard on his swimming techniques, and I took it easy with the wonderful reading. Claudia had very kindly sent me a box of books just before I went away, and there were some absolute gems in there. The Bride's Farewell, a sort-of re-telling of Tess of the d'Urbervilles (one of my all-time favourite books) by the ever brilliant Meg Rosoff was real treat. Threads by Sophia Bennett which is set in the world of London fashion was an absolute delight. On a more serious bent The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid was an amzing book, that will stay in my mind for a very long time. (Thank you Caroline for such a great recommendation.) Twilight and New Moon by Stephenie Meyer were books that I really should have read before now, and I enjoyed them both enormously.

In addition to the ice-cream, D and I ate very well indeed. We had bread, cheese and the sweetest Italian tomatoes for lunch every day and dined on fresh vegetables, Tuscan bread salad, and bean and pesto pasta, all procured from the local market. I think over the course of the week we also managed to drink our own body weight in Prosecco, Peroni and Chianti!

Before our travels, I had been pretty busy on the knitting front, and had finally managed to finish Corinne's little cats. I also finished the Anthropologie inspired capelet by Julia Allen in a beautiful soft green Rowan Little Big Wool bought from a lovely shop called Jolie in the village where my sister lives.

I've also brought the great grey behemoth cardigan (aka Flicca by Anna Bell) out of hibernation. It's quite cumbersome, but having finished a couple of projects, I feel inspired to finish some old projects. I've kind of set myself a one-in, one-out policy so that I only ever have two projects on the go. (Let's see how that works out...)

I think that my next big project will be Arisaig by Isolda Teague. But then again, knowing that I'm such a slow knitter, I should probably start thinking about Christmas presents already!)

Other great news is that the folks have finally returned from their travels in India! I saw them briefly when I collected them from the airport and delivered them to my sister's place, and now that we're all in the same country again, I'm really looking forward to spending some time with them and hearing all about their adventures.

Nearly There

Although the cats still aren't quite finished they really are moving in the right direction. Everything bar one tail has been knitted and the last eight limbs are all sewn up. In theory I could get them finished this week as they just need faces, stuffing and finishing off. Never say never, I say!

I have been slightly distracted from the cats by my current projects, Noe Noa and the soft green Anthropologie-inspired capelet. The scarf is pretty much finished, I just need to work up a handful of crochet flowers to embellish it. I'm thinking of making them up in pink cotton, which should go well with the grey of the scarf. The little capelet, turned out to be rather too little for my liking so I have frogged the rib and am adding in a handful of extra rows just to finish it off. Here's hoping that next week, I'll have lots of lovely finished objects to show you...

Happy Easter!

The sun is shining, the sky is blue and we've got a long weekend to do what we please. There's chocolate to be had and life is good! Easter is upon us and I'm having a wonderful weekend. Friday started off pretty promisingly as I set out to walk from Salisbury to Winchester along the Clarendon Way. I got to the halfway point (about 13 miles) just in time for lunch, but then I lost the path, the heavens opened, and I called on my handsome boy to come and rescue me! I was really enjoying being out and about in the fresh air, so I'll definitely finish it off in a week or so - but I think it might be better with a map! After a long hot soak in the tub, I was tired but happy and ready to enjoy another three days off!

Saturday was a real treat, as the boy and I went to one of our favourite places, Lyme Regis. As ever, it was absolutely beautiful and the light was amazing. I spent quite some time trying to get the perfect shot of the newly painted beach huts on Marine Parade. I was particularly taken with hut number 16, which was pink (of course) and had the most charming rose-printed curtains. We enjoyed a lovely cup of tea with Victoria sponge cake, walked along the Cobb in the sunshine and had some delicious chips while sitting on the beach looking out at the sea. What a lovely way to spend the day.

We also popped into Susie Cole, which turns out to be a rather lovely little shop. I'd bought an old lace nightdress from there a couple of years back, which hadn't fitted very well and after quite a bit of wrangling they'd reluctantly issued me with a credit note. Luckily, a much lovelier lady was working there this time and she let me use the credit note even though it probably should have expired by now. The result was a great haul of two wooden bangles, a gorgeous vintage pair of dusky pink satin gloves, a green leather rose bracelet and a pair of old 5.5mm needles made of pale blue plastic.



I also took the opportunity, while we were out in the sunshine on the Cobb, to photograph my Noe Noa scarf, which is now in it's third incarnation! Having frogged it once (do you frog in crochet?) because it wasn't particularly neat I realised that it was actually in the wrong stitch, so with the help of the ever-trusty Debbie Stoller and her Happy Hooker I set about correcting it. I still don't completely understand what I'm doing, but at least the American version of double crochet is twice as quick!

Easter Sunday itself was spent in a rather more prosaic fashion when out of the blue, the boy suggested that we have a spring clean. Now, anyone who knows me will know that cleaning is not exactly my idea of fun and I'd rather just scoop up the balls of cat fur when they get big enough to be mistaken for another cat. Still, it did turn out to be strangely enjoyable as I took the opportunity to sort out my stash, frog a couple of long-dead projects and start thinking about actually finishing something! I also dug out my Clothkits Christmas present and have spent this morning cutting and trying to edge the pieces on Libby's sewing machine so that they don't fray.

And finally, in the midst of all the chocolate loveliness that is Easter, I just wanted to show you something truly special from my sister. Check out this fabulous alternative Easter egg that she gave me! Isn't that just the best Easter gift a girl could ever want to receive?