Random thoughts of a would-be knitter

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Only nice things!

Owls is now on the needles and I am loving it! David is away for three weeks, so I've had lots of time to spend on it, including two knitting clubs at work and with the Poultry Cross knitters this fine afternoon. It feels pretty quick to knit up and as I'm still on the waist shaping it's nice and easy too! I had to wait patiently to get started because of the mixed dye lots, but the lovely folks at Laughing Hens came up trumps and sent out replacements for four of the balls before I'd even sent the first batch back. Hoorah for a great service - thanks Hens!

The living room is finally finished, with the arrival of the last frame this week. I put the pictures up last night and have been loving the new sophoisticated (not to mention tidy) vibe! There is nothing like being blissfully happy in your own home. I just wish that D was here to see it. (Although he'd probably need to straighten all of the pictures as my idea of straight definitely isn't as straight as his!)

I've also been working on the button bouquets for the flower girls at Shona's wedding and have made the prototype placemarker/favours too. The wedding is only four weeks away now and it's going to be such a beautiful day that I can barely wait! The hen weekend, which Sarah arranged perfectly, was last weekend in Cornwall and it was an absolute blast! Everyone had a great time, although I think I may have completed the journey home with considerably fewer brain cells...

Having a bit more time on my hands, means that I've had more time to read, and in the last fortnight I've read two really very good books; We Are All Made of Glue by Marina Lewycka and One Day by David Nicholls. Both of them were funny and sad and wryly observed and I would heartily recommend either of them. I'm just about to start on Notes from an Exhibition by Patrick Gale, which I hope will live up to expectations.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

I Love Yarn!

Unsurprisingly, I have caved in and bought some more Cocoon to make my Owls sweater! I've opted for Polar, a really lovely natural shade, but unfortunately the wool has come from two different dye lots, and I'm waiting to hear back from the online retailer, before I get started. I really hope that they can let me have all six balls from the same lot, as I think it would look a little bit odd. Luckily, I do have Cheadle to keep me going, and my Mum bought me 700 grams of navy blue Aran, so I'm going to spend some happy hours on Ravelry looking for the right pattern for it.

Mum and Dad came over this weekend for a visit to admire the new living room (which sadly is still picture-less). We had a lovely lunch of Yotam Ottolenghi's aubergine 'cheesecake' recipe from the Guardian Weekend magazine. I dished it up with a hot ciabatta loaf and a green salad and a bottle of very cold white wine. Yummy! After lunch we took a stroll up to Clarenden Palace in the glorious spring sunshine. A really lovely day.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Spring is on the Way

March is here and after three, pretty much solid, weeks of dismal grey rain, the sun is finally out. This morning, walking to the station past Queen Elizabeth Gardens it was bright, crisp and clear. There was frost on the ground, but the sun was out and it finally felt as if spring was on its way!

Except for a few notable highlights, the last three weeks have also been a bit grey. I’ve had a pretty stinky cold for most of it and I got knocked off my bike by a car. The cold has now shifted and I’m the proud owner of a cycle helmet. I’ll be battered and bruised for a few more weeks, but in the grand scheme of things, I count myself as lucky not to have been more damaged. I haven't been out running for three weeks now and I'm starting to get a little bit impatient to be back out there pounding the pavements.

On the up side, D has finally finished his MBA and it was with a well-earned feeling of achievement that we drove a beautifully bound copy down to Henley to hand in at the college. After years of slaving away in his little room on the top floor of the house, he is now entering The Period of Great Reflection which basically involves swapping business books for Heat magazine, watching a whole lot of televised sport and drinking many, many pints of lager at our local. We're making the most of all of his free time with trips to Stourhead, to the movies to see the memorable An Education (a well earned Bafta for Carey Mulligan) and out for dinner a couple of times too. We're also enjoying the newly-decorated living room, which looks lovely. We’ve got most of our new artwork framed, so as soon as they’re all up, I shall post a photo. (We went for the stoney white in the end.)

On the needles, Cheadle is coming along very nicely, but I am very tempted to break my vow of monogamous knitting and cast on Kate Davies’ Owls. Just need to get me some more Rowan Cocoon and I’m good to go!

My book of the month is the really rather lovely Salisbury in Detail which has been published by Salisbury Civic Society and includes a photo of my very own door knocker, Crombie the bull, as shown on page 41.