Sparkleknits

Taking it Easy...

2011-08-07T17:56:00.000+01:00

After a good few weeks of being busy, busy, busy, this weekend has seen an incredibly welcome return to laziness! The last two days has been the longest time that D and I have both been at home without any visitors since we returned from our holiday in Italy in June!

Friday night started with a little tour around the Cathedral Close to admire Sean Henry's sculpture exhibition: Conflux: A Union of the Sacred and the Anonymous, a series of amazingly lifelike sculptures that are both around the close and in the cathedral itself. I could only see the outside figures as I had a date with D to try out a new pub that has recently opened just outside St Ann's Gate, The Lazy Cow. The bar itself was nice and lively, with a great atmosphere. I think it's probably the kind of place that would be nice for a long Sunday brunch. We didn't get much of a look at the menu, but I'm sure that we'll be back to try it out before too long.

Saturday started with a quick trip on the train to Southampton. We needed to check out some wallpaper for our bedroom and after very thoughtful debate, we decided on a steel blue botanic rose print. It's quite big and bold and somewhat modern, whilst still feeling appropriate for our ramshackle old house. We just have to find the appropriate colour for the remaining three walls, but I'm hoping that it'll be one of those colours that you know is right, just as soon as you see it. At least that's the theory...

I also took the opportunity to spend the "towards crafty projects" birthday money that my parents sent me in June. Browsing through the selection in the haberdashers was a real treat and I finally settled on teh following prints from Joel Dewberry's Modern Meadow collection. I'm planning on using the fabric to make the Sample Book quilt from Jane Brocket's The Gentle Art of Quilt-Making. It's going to be another long-term project, but I enjoyed making my first quilt so much that I'm itching to get started on a second.

The short journey home from Southampton was broken up with a very welcome stop at Mottisfont and Dunbridge for a tasty pint of cloudy cider at the Mill Arms and this afternoon has seen a trip out into the country to visit the newly re-opened Beckford Arms at Fonthill Gifford, near Tisbury. On the drive home D and I decided on our top five country pubs, all within 30 miles of Salisbury and here they are:

The Beckford Arms, Fonthill Gifford, Tisbury (great food, drink, accommodation and a lovely atmosphere)
The Mill Arms, Barley Hill, Dunbridge (great location close to Mottisfont Abbey, gorgeous beer garden)
The Ship Inn, Burcombe (this is a regular go-to for delicious dinners and Sunday lunches)
The Spread Eagle, Stourton (just outside the grounds of Stourhead, the Spread Eagle does a wonderful line in afternoon teas in the summer and toasty fires on a cold day with Winter Pimms)
The Compasses Inn, Lower Chicksgrove (award-winningly good grub)

All five of them are absolutely wonderful and if you are ever at a loose end in Wiltshire (or Hampshire in the case of The Mill Arms) then you would be hard-pushed to find a nicer way of spending a couple of hours than visiting any of them.

I'm rounding off the weekend with some homemade ginger biscuits and tea, listening to the new album from Bon Iver and reading Meg Rosoff's new book, There Is No Dog, which is as brilliant as it is funny.

And finally, on the needles, Bunting is growing before my very eyes. I need to get a move on to get him finished by my end of summer deadline, but with a good wind and a few more weekends at home, all will be fine!

Busy, busy, busy!

2011-07-24T15:05:00.000+01:00

Here it is - the finished quilt.

What an incredibly busy few weeks I've had - I'm not sure I've had a single spare moment since my last post here. Highlights have been two weddings, a ball (of the dancing variety, not the kicking type), a flower show, a spot of culture at the V&A, the boat races at Henley, a house-warming party, a surprise gig and even a finished quilt! All of this has meant that I haven't had a great deal of time for crafting, but I am absolutely thrilled to be able to say that I have finally finished my first quilt and it has been christened with a picnic at the family day of Henley Business School.

Afternoon tea - heaven!

We spent the day and an evening at the races in Henley, complete with a picnic lunch, afternoon tea, a trip along the course on a beautiful wooden-hulled steamship, finishing the day with a picnic supper in the grounds of the college as we watched the fireworks that were being displayed from the bridge in town. I really do love all picnics, but I think that this one might have been the most memorable of all. And it was made all the more special by being wrapped up in something I'd made over the last six months, with a whole lot of patience and plenty of love. (If only I could finish more projects...) Of course, I already have a new quilt in mind and am currently resisting the urge to buy some of the beautiful Japanese prints that are available from Saints and Pinners.

The other high point of the month has been a trip to the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show with my dear sister. She bought us tickets as a treat and it was wonderful. I took well over 100 photographs and I think I would have taken more if I'd charged up my camera battery the night before! Here are three of my favourite gardens from the show:

The conceptual gardens, the RHS edible garden, the poets' gardens and the small gardens were all just stunning. Inside the vegetable and floral display tents there were the most incredible arrangements and displays, my absolute favourites were the huge displays of allium and agapanthus and the amazing centre stand that had flowers, fruit and vegetables ordered by colour. It was such great fun! The garlic garden was also pretty cool and very beautiful too.

I came away from a wonderful day completely inspired and with a very long list of vegetables, plants and flowers that I'd love to have in my very own garden when it's finished. What a gorgeous day - thanks, Amanda!

Other highlights of the last few weeks have been two fabulous weddings. Huge congratulations to Rachel and Neil and Jenny and Adam! Dancing and dodgems with friends and lots of lovely fizz at Tidworth Polo Club summer ball was also great fun. A fantastic girly night out was had by all and we stayed up laughing and chatting until the sun came up! A surprise support slot by D for the Barnstormers topped off an amazing weekend last weekend.

On the needles, Bunting is getting more and more cat-like, but Coraline is taking a bit of a rest. I've been flexing my fingers with a bit of crochet and the blanket that will complement my quilts is steadily growing...

And to finish this post, here are some of my favourite Instagram photos from the last month for you and a link to my updated online shop as cute as buttons:

High Days and Holidays

2011-06-19T18:52:00.000+01:00

Picnic season is well and truly underway now with a pair of picnics for my birthday; one in Pedlar's Park with lots of lovely friends from work on the Friday before my birthday weekend (thanks guys!) and a second with D on the day before my birthday. D had arranged a surprise day out to Oxford which was just lovely. We drove up from Salisbury, picked up some bread, cheese and fruit from the covered market and took it to the University Park for a long lazy lunch in the sunshine. After lunch we took a stroll back into town and I visited the Eccentricity exhibition at the Museum of the History of Science while D browsed for books at Blackwell's.

Next up was a smashing cup of tea at The Grand Cafe, the oldest coffee shop in Oxford and a perfect day was rounded off with a trip to the really rather lovely knitting shop, Darn It and Stitch where I took a very pretty picture of their rainbow of wool and bought a charm pack of creamy-beigey-brown and pale turquoise fabric from the Lily and Will range by Bunny Hill Designs for Moda. It is such a sweet little shop and well worth a visit if you in or near to Oxford.

The day of my birthday itself, I was completely spoiled. I was sent all kinds of cakey goodies; silicone muffin trays, the most beautiful measuring cups you are ever likely to see and a stunning three tier cake stand from my dear sister. D gave me a Kindle, which was a complete surprise and I have promptly loaded it with all of my favourite classics and even more that I haven't read yet. I also used some brilliant V&A fabric that hadn't fitted in with the colours of my quilt, to make a padded case to keep it protected on the train. Framley Parsonage, here I come...

I probably would've posted last weekend but D and I have spent the last week relaxing in the Tuscan sunshine! We stayed in the apartment of a friend and divided our time between swimming or lounging by the pool, and day trips out to the surrounding towns of Florence, Siena, Volterra and San Gimignano. I read some brilliant books; Great House by Nicole Krauss, The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe, High Wages by Dorothy Whipple and When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman. All of them were excellent reads.

The apartment we stayed in was simple and stunning. It is situated in a tiny little hamlet in the hills not far from Pisa. The view from the bedroom window is of the church in the village at the top of the road and the view from the pool was of olive groves - I can't tell you how amazing it was! The sun shone every day and without internet, email, phone or TV it was a real retreat from the busyness of modern world and a step away from our everyday lives.

Trips out and about gave us a bit of culture and we visited the Uffizi Gallery in Florence for the first time. Both the museum and Florence were slightly overwhelming, so it was nice to visit a few of the more quiet towns in the region. We had the most amazing ice creams on each of our days out, including pistachio, yoghurt, vanilla, lemon, peach, fruits of the forest and best of all stracciatella, which is a plain cream gelato with delicious strips of dark chocolate. Mmmmmmm!

We pootled around in a brand new Fiat 500, which was charmingly Italian and very brave as it tackled all of the hills, often in first gear! I couldn't resist taking this picture of one of the original models that was parked up in Siena. Isn't it cute!

After all that activity, we made sure to make the most of the long evenings; eating wonderful Tuscan recipes, drinking local wine and gazing out over the landscape. I even managed to get in a spot of crafting, starting up the crochet blanket that I had my eye on in The Gentle Art of Knitting.

Here comes the summer

2011-05-31T13:32:00.000+01:00

What a lovely couple of weeks I've had. Work is great and I'm embarking on some wonderful projects and home is lovely. Last weekend was pretty cultural, and I got out and about with visits to the beautiful walled rose garden at Mottisfont Abbey, the brand new Constable & Salisbury exhibition at Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum and to the Made to Last exhibition which is being hosted in the cloisters of Salisbury Cathedral as part of Salisbury International Arts Festival.

I took literally hundreds of flower photographs at Mottisfont, both on the Olympus PEN and the new Diana F+. The colours of the roses, and the foxgloves, and the clematis were all staggering, and in the warm sunlight, the flowers seemed to glow. This time of year is so precious, I want to try and capture every second, every glint of light and every shade of colour. If any of the film picture come out okay, I'll upload them when I next post here. Watch this space...

The festival is wonderful for the city of Salisbury with events and activities taking place at dozens of venues for a jam-packed fortnight. Sadly, I missed one of the opening events which was an aerial ballet by the Argentinian dance company, Voalà. It would have been great to see, but I had a prior engagement for some baby cuddles with the adorable Flora, which could not be missed for all the dancing in South America! The Made to Last exhibition was well worth the visit, with some really unusual modern sculptures in the quiet and contemplative setting of the cathedral cloisters. I posted a handful of pictures on instagram (which, yes, I am still smitten with) and here's one of my favourites.

This weekend has been all about family and friends and, very importantly, music. D has always been an amazing musician, but a non-practising one until this weekend, when he re-emerged onto the scene with not one, but two, amazing acoustic sets at the local. He totally rocked and I am very proud of him! Special thanks to George and Sarah and to my mum and dad, who came along to support him on Friday and Sunday respectively.

Here are a couple more instagram pictures that I've taken in the last fortnight of the bunting celebrating the anniversary of the Festival of Britain at the Southbank Centre and the stunning alliums from outside Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum.

On the craft front, I am delighted to report that I have finally found just the right colour orange for Bunting. It was pretty tricky and I needed the help of the lovely knitting departments of both Liberty and John Lewis (frankly, visiting any knitting department is no hardship) but I am there. I've also started Bunting in earnest and have rediscovered the lost art of french knitting thanks to this superb tutorial from Donna Vokes. My parents moved house two weeks ago and my mum discovered an old french knitting dolly, made from a wooden cotton reel with four teeny tiny nails hammered into the top. It turns out that I had completely forgotten how to create icord with a dolly, but now I've started again, there's no holding me back!

Coraline is still growing. I did get to the yoke, but then decided that I would actually prefer a longer line cardigan, so I'm adding an additional
couple of inches, which means fourteen more (very long) rows of stocking stitch. Gah!

The good news, though, is that my quilt is almost, almost finished. The pieces have been pieced, the sandwich quilted and all I need now is some dark brown cotton to match the ribbon that I am planning to use as a border. I can hardly wait to be snuggled up on the sofa, on a chilly autumn afternoon with a good book and a cup of tea, all wrapped up in my own hand-made quilt. I just have to resist the urge to make a matching blanket from Jane Brocket's The Gentle Art of Knitting, which I finally received this week. No new projects until I've finished something! (Let's see how long that lasts...)

It's been a while...

2011-05-17T13:58:00.001+01:00

The last four weeks have just flown by - I've been so busy at work and at home that I've found it hard to find the time to sit quietly with my laptop and get a few words down. However, I have had time to keep crafting. (Phew!) Coraline is coming on steadily and I hope to hit the complicated yoke smocking in a couple of weeks time. It's slow-going, and repetitive, just now, but it is about to get interesting and when it's all blocked and I can wear it, I know it will all be worth it!

Aside from knitting, I've been spending a fair amount of time beavering away on my big quilting project. Over the last four weeks, I've cut out all of the pieces (all 252 of them!) and I've started to put them together together. It was great fun playing with the different coloured pieces, spreading them all out on the floor in my den to see what went well where and to check that nothing looked out of place. That there weren't too many repeats or blocks of similar colours too close to each other.

Following the instructions from Jane Brocket's Gentle Art of Quilting I labelled each square-to-be before machine-sewing the four strips of each square together, then patiently ironing every single seam flat. I swear, I did more ironing in the last four days than I've done in the last four years! I've now sewn the squares into rows, and once I have sewn those rows into one giant piece, I shall begin hand-quilting in earnest. I've just run out of cotton (and bank holidays) so I shall have to wait until next weekend before I can finish off the front.

It's lovely to see something come from nothing; to create something so large from scraps of material. Although I'm a long way from finishing this particular project, I'm enjoying it so much that I'm already imagining what my next quilt will look like! Since my last post, I visited The American Museum in Claverton, near Bath, which has the most inspirational collections of handmade quilts. They had them all in one room in gigantic poster sleeves and I only wish that I could have had the place to myself so that I could really have studied them in detail. I did buy some beautiful fat quarters, none of which are actually in this quilt, but they will be in something lovely before too long, I'm sure!

I've also treated myself to a very exciting new camera. The Diana+ is a lomographic camera - and isn't she the most beautiful camera you've ever seen? I've only had one roll of film developed so far and I wouldn't say that I was particularly proud of any of the pictures (especially as I'd bought the wrong speed film!) but it's a start and I'm going to have lots of fun with analogue photos. I love the unpredictability of shooting with a film camera and I love the nostalgic warmth of the end results. Here's a link to the Ten Golden Rules of Lomography - whatever you take your photos with - these are all lessons well-learned!

This move to lo-fi has done absolutely nothing to dampen my enthusiasm for Instagram! I've made the bold move of having some of my snaps printed out on 5" x 5" matt paper by the lovely folk at Photo.com. Some of the images aren't quite hi-res enough to be blown up to that size, but somehow, when you're looking at them in the pages of a gorgeous album it doesn't matter in the slightest.

Time for a Break

2011-03-27T19:51:00.000+01:00

Since my last post, things at work have been a little bit hectic so I was really ready for a little bit of time away. D and I booked a little last-minute getaway to one of our favourite retreats, Fifteen The Digey in St Ives for a little bit of peace and quiet. We had no great plans for the week; just reading, walks on the beach and the occasional afternoon tea, but the week before we left we discovered that, some very dear friends of ours would also be in St Ives for the week and that even more friends would join us at the end of it!

A whole gang of us were due to meet at the incredibly happy wedding of Claire and Nigel yesterday and it was just delightful that so many good friends took the opportunity to make the most of the trip to the south west to spend a little bit of time together at the beach. Highlights of the time together included, running in the sea with little Joe, a slap-up lunch at the award-winning Porthminster Cafe, building sand-castles (Spangles' were by far the most excellent) and a delicious and hilarious dinner with the girls at Porthgwidden Beach Cafe.

D and I also made the most of our time away together with walks on the beach at Sennen, Porthmeor beach and along Gurnard's Head followed by the tastiest lunch of the week at the Gurnard's Head Hotel. We also managed to squeeze in some very long lazy lie-ins, daily afternoon teas, plenty of reading, drinking, cryptic crosswords and sitting by the harbour just watching the world go by. Absolute bliss. I read four books, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson, The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, The Vanishing of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell and One Boy and His Dog, the final book from master storyteller Eva Ibbotson. I also bought a rather beautiful photography book called The Light at St Ives by Ann Kelley from the St Ives Bookseller.

I didn't get very much knitting done while I was away, apart from on the journeys to and fro. Coraline is coming along very nicely and I really am relieved that the Jaeger 4ply has finally found its purpose! There was a sale on at St Ives local yarn store House of Bartlett so, after a certain amount of indecision, I invested in ten balls of Louisa Harding's Millais in a dark petrol blue, which I hope will turn into something with a nice cowl neck. Maybe...

Our wonderful week ended with such a happy day as we joined Claire and Nigel to celebrate their wedding at Kitley House Hotel in Devon. Claire looked beautiful and it was so moving to see Nigel looking at her as she walked up the aisle to meet him. Claire's sister read lyrics from Angel Mine by the Cowboy Junkies which would have softened even the hardest of hearts. This is a picture of Claire's bouquet, which was patiently handmade by Claire's mum - isn't it gorgeous.

After the ceremony we drank pink fizz, had tea and scones on the lawn while a jazz singer serenaded us, an amazing wedding breakfast and dancing until midnight before collapsing into what was quite possibly the world's comfiest bed at the Plantation House Hotel. The perfect day to end a perfect holiday.

What a Week!

2011-03-07T15:06:00.000Z

The sun is shining, the daffodils are out, D and I have had our first picnic of the year and at last spring really is on the way.

This last week has been a pretty momentous week in my world, particularly with the arrival of little baby Bobbin, who from now on will be known as Flora. Congratulations to Jenny and Pete – I can't wait to come on over and meet little Flora. Also, congratulations go out to D's twin, who got a new job teaching as a head of department at a particularly fine school just over the county line in Dorset. This means that he and his family will be moving closer, which will be all together lovely. M stayed with us the night before the interview and the night after and he found out that he'd got the job on Saturday morning, so we drove the short twenty miles to check out the town that he will be living in, stopped for a celebratory cup of tea at a really nice café/bookshop and checked out the local estate agents' windows.

That evening I went to my friend Claire's Hen Party, where we ate Claudia's amazing canapés and drank lots and lots of pink fizz. Throughout the course of the evening Claire had to answer a number of tricky questions including, "What really happened in the tree house...?" Great fun was had by all and there was none of the traditional tackiness!

Sunday was a momentous day indeed and heralded our first picnic of the season. Truth be told, it was still a little chilly, but there was quiche and potato salad left over from the party and an outdoor exhibition of plant photography at Lacock Abbey that I really, really wanted to see. The International Garden Photographer of the Year competition is held annually by the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in partnership with the National Trust and it's well worth a visit if you happen to be in Wiltshire. The National Trust museum also celebrates the art of photography and had a wonderful exhibition of pinhole photography by Jesseca Ferguson called Handmade Pictures.

On the needles, I have cast on for Coraline. I'm using 4ply so it may well take the rest of the year but I'm really pleased to be knitting something that I will really want to wear, with a pattern that's nicely challenging but not daunting (very important combination) and with a wool that is a pleasure to knit with.

I've also just finished a truly moving book, The Hand that First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell. It's a sad and beautiful book with a poignancy and inevitability that made me want to savour it as much as I wanted to race through to the end. I'm now off to buy some more of her books to keep me entertained on my forthcoming holiday in Cornwall. Wonderful!

A Stitch in Time

2011-02-27T19:03:00.000Z

The last three weeks have been pretty hectic, both at home and at work. We've had guests to stay, had a wonderful bit of decorating done (thank you RJ for our beautiful new staircase), and been out and about a fair bit too. I feel like I haven't had much time for knitting and stitching so this weekend has been a very welcome craft-fest!

The weekend kicked off on a high note when the door knocker heralded the post man who was carrying a divine parcel of happiness from the fabulous folk at Fabric Rehab. The photo on the left shows the material which I'm hoping will turn into a Beach Hut pattern quilt from Jane Brocket's Gentle Art of Quilt-Making. I bought a super-duper quilt ruler on Saturday morning (and the most gorgeous muffin cases ever seen - thank you Dinghams!) and I'm really looking forward to getting stuck in, cutting out a trillion 2" x 8" strips!

In the meantime, my first patchwork project is coming along quite nicely. I've machine-stitched all of the pieces into strips and pressed them all nicely, so I just need to sew the strips together, buy some wadding and backing fabric and put it all together. I think that the part I'm most looking forward to is the actual quilting part - hand stitching each of the squares through all of the various layers. I'll report back when it's progressed a little further.

On the needles, the navy aran from my mum is now in its third incarnation! It started off as an asymmetric cardigan, then it was going to be a capelet, but now I'm rather hoping it will be comfortable as a Danica. Fingers crossed that third time will be a charm. (Didn't I say something like that about the my afghan blanket? Hope I'm not spotting a pattern...)

I've not fallen out of love with Instagram yet and have been snapping away at every opportunity! Here are some edited highlights from February:

I've read a couple of pretty good, albeit completely different, books in the last couple of weeks, Trespass by Rose Tremain and The Radleys by Matt Haig. I've just started Even the Dogs by Jon McGregor which has a slightly odd start, but I have high hopes that it'll be every bit as good as If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things and So Many Ways to Begin. I've also watched a couple of movies, The Social Network, which was really good and surprisingly moving and Black Swan which I enjoyed less, but mostly because I was expecting something beautiful and art-house not the horror movie it really is. (The costumes and the dancing were incredible, though!) To end this post on a hight point, I heartily recommend the new album, 21 by Adele. I've had it pretty much on repeat since I bought it - hope you'll like it too.

Keeping Busy

2011-02-06T20:26:00.002Z

I've had a pretty busy month, so sorry for the lack of posts. Knitting has taken up a fair amount of my free time, especially as my dear friend Jenny is getting ready to have a baby (the bump is affectionately known as Bobbin) and I've been crafting away to make something ready for when she arrives. The knitters from work joined together to make this really lovely blanket for her. The pattern is from Stephany Lein's YARRRRN! blog and Jenny E, Suzie, Claire, Maya, Chiara, Alyssa and Gemma all chipped in to make an incredibly personal gift for Bobbin. Jenny E, Gemma and I had great fun choosing particularly Jenny-esque colours. Wool was handed out just before Christmas and the knitting started in earnest. Squares started coming in a couple of weeks ago and with a bit of patience, a lot of needlework, a long, long chain of double crochet and the magic of blocking, a baby blanket was born.

Bobbin is going to be a very well dressed little girl as she already has a beautiful nautical jumper and gorgeous baby jeans knitted by her mum, a stunning pinafore dress knitted by Jenny E and a little red asymmetrical cardigan from me! I think that the dress, the jumper and the cardigan will form Bobbin's going home outfit. She'll be the best-dressed baby that day, and pretty toasty too! I can't wait to see the photos and I can't wait to meet her even more! We gave her a pretty good send off from work last week and I'll really miss her over the coming months. Big hugs go out to Jenny and good luck for the big day.

My Kaffe Fassett Patchwork book that Mum and Dad bought me for Christmas finally arrived and I have at last been able to start on my first quilting project. I'm using the fat quarters that I received and a pair of jeans that David has kindly donated to craft to make a quilted cushion cover. It's early days yet, but I'm rather looking forward to having something to show you as the project to share...

Off the needles, I've had a trip up to Scotland to stay with Angie, Robin and Joe and we had a wonderful time. Angie and I even managed a girls' night out at the movies to see The King's English at Dundee Contemporary Arts. I had just discovered the Instagram app for the iPhone so spent a fair amount of time snapping away and posting my pics!

Edinburgh Castle in the Dusk

Woodpile at the Pillars of Hercules

Flowers in the Guest Room

Up In the Clouds

I've been reading some absolutely cracking books this month, including You Against Me by Jenny Downham, Mrs Miniver by Jan Struthers, Life: an Exploded Diagram by Mal Peet and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.

My favourite book by a very long way, however, has been Being Billy by Phil Earle. Being Billy is an incredible book. It is a work of honesty and sensitivity. Rarely have I cared quite so much about a protagonist as he struggles to come to terms with the life that he must lead. Being Billy has integrity, it is moving and heartfelt and above all, it's a brilliant read. I was lucky enough to be invited to Phil's book launch at Waterstone's Piccadilly in January and it was wonderful to help him celebrate and catch up with so very many old friends. Phil's working on his next book; please do visit his website for more news, reviews and more.

This year, I resolve to ...

2011-01-09T18:44:00.002Z

What with one thing and another it's been a bit of a slow start to the new year, and after a rather nasty bout of illness, I am now engaging with the world at large again!

December was incredibly busy, both at work and at home (sorry for the lack of posts) so the break over Christmas with D, family and friends was very much appreciated. It's been really lovely just relaxing, taking it easy and doing only nice things! And I know that it's not everybody's cup of tea, but the snow really was very special. When the snow in Salisbury was at it's deepest, the light took on a magical quality and I rushed out with my Olympus to take some pictures. I could post more here, but I've a feeling this post is going to be quite photo-heavy so I'll restrict myself just to this one of the Art Centre looking magnificent in the white,

I'm rather hoping that 2011 will be the year that I finally learn to quilt. My parents have very kindly ordered me a quilting book and they gave me some templates and some templates and some really lovely fat quarters. (Isn't that just the best name ever?!)
I'm going to start with a very simple diamond patterned cushion cover, maybe with a denim backing and border, sewn on the machine with had stitched quilting. Or at least that's the plan and as soon as the book that my folks have ordered I'm going to get stuck straight in.

On the needles, I've had a really good month. A Christmas present Baird for my sister, a lovely little asymmetric cardigan for Jenny's bump, and a cracking Capucine bobble hat for Shona's birthday. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed making a pompom, I totally regressed to being a kid, which must've been the last time I made a bobble! The study blanket is coming on brilliantly. I've now got ten and a half squares, so probably only another forty-nine and a half to go! I think that my next big project will be a little cardigan and I'm thinking about using my Rowan Kidsilk Haze to knit up Melissa Wehrle's Grannie Smith Cardigan. It'll be lovely to finally make something successful out of it!

I haven't done a huge amount of baking, but I did come across this ingenious idea for Christmas presents for everyone at work. It's a really fun gift to give and everyone loved them. Here's a link to the chocablog website for the particular recipe I used.

I have been out and about a fair bit though, with trips to Mottisfont, Bath Christmas Market (twice) and ice-skating at the London Eye with my dear sister, which was just about the most fun ever. Here I am messing around on the ice - in the snow!

Right now, I'm relaxing on the sofa with a mug of fruity tea, my knitting one one side of me and the cat on the other, watching a showing of the Royal Ballet performing Swan Lake at Covent Garden, and it's really rather beautiful.

I'm going to leave you with a few of my favourite pictures from New Year's Day in Bournemouth with some lofty aims for the year ahead!

Look after myself

Be as good a person as I possibly can be

Be creative

See the beauty in everything

"Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts." Charles Dickens

Buttons, buttons, buttons

2010-11-28T19:26:00.000Z

Buttons Galore!

I've had a really lovely and busy couple of weeks preparing my wares for the annual Walker Creatives Christmas Craft Fair. So far, I have twenty four bracelets, twelve pairs of earrings and eight rings ready to go and in just about every colour of the rainbow. I'm feeling quite nicely ahead of the game, although I do have a few little gift bags to make up.

I've temporarily suspended my Folksy site, As Cute As Buttons so that I've got as much to sell at the fair as possible and then I'll have a really good photoshoot next weekend and re-list everything ready for a little bit of Christmas custom. As always, if there's something you'd like made up specifically, do let me know and I'll do whatever I can to help.

I have started my own Christmas shopping already, which is frankly staggering, considering I normally leave for a madcap dash along Oxford Street on Christmas Eve! My sister and I visited the Bath Spa Christmas Market yesterday and I picked up some really lovely things as well as being quite inspired with some of the goodies on offer. Next weekend, I'm meeting a friend for lunch so I'll be able to visit the Winchester Cathedral Christmas Market too. I'm so lucky living the in South West - there are so many beautiful places to visit and really nice things to do. Salisbury even has its very own ice rink in The Maltings, so I'm really looking forward to giving that a go!

On the needles, I am still busy and in addition to my afghan blanket I have have two secret surprises on the go; one for Christmas and one for just after. I shan't tell you any more than that, but will post pictures when I don't need to be such a secret squirrel!

And just before I head off to finish making my gift bags, here's an early Christmas present that I have given myself! These smashing letters were from Urban Outfitters of all places and I LOVE them!

A Little Piece of the Quiet Life

2010-11-13T20:15:00.000Z

There's something particularly beautiful about the British seaside in winter that can't be matched even on the sunniest of days. D and I are just back from having spent a wonderful relaxing week in St Ives, staying in a simply stunning flat right on the heart of town on The Digey. It was a week of only good things: fireworks, chips, long lie-ins, strolls along the beach, lots of photography, reading, pasties, plenty of knitting (of which, more anon), reading great books, the odd pint of cloudy cider and even finishing the Guardian cryptic crossword for the first time ever!

The sea is incredible at any moment of the day and taking a stroll whenever we wanted was a pleasure. There were moments when it was quite wild walking along the harbour wall and the beaches of St Ives, (especially on Thursday morning when it felt as if Force 10 gales were raging!) but there was respite to be taken in any one of the many charming pubs along the harbour. And a few pints were gently nursed while we puzzled over the crossword, staring out at the waves.

The flat itself was gorgeous, with slate flooring, clean white walls and original artwork everywhere. Looking out of the window to the left we could see the wild and wonderful Porthmeor beach and through the window on the right we could see the boats coming in and out of St Ives harbour. Amazing! Everything was exactly as we would have hoped and we felt right at home from the very first moment we stepped through the door. The Digey is in a wonderful location just off Fore Street, with its very own chocolate shop, Chocolat and delicatessen, The Digey Food Room. There was a really homely bakery at the bottom of the street and a very handy paper shop at the bottom of Fore Street, just on the harbour front. Just about everything you could possibly need for a relaxing week in a home away from home.

St Ives is not only beautiful and perfectly placed, but super-cultured too! We visited the Peter Lanyon exhibition at Tate St Ives, and had a lovely lunch in their cafe. (In the exhibition space I managed to get myself told off for taking a photograph out of the window - oops! But I couldn't resist, it looked so tempting...)

Without a doubt the cultural highlight for me was a visit to the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden. To see where such a talented artist lived and worked and to be in that space was humbling. Being out of season I had the place almost to myself and I could have stayed for hours and hours, just taking it all in. I took some photographs in the garden and of her studio, but they in no way convey the true beauty of the place. If you are visiting Cornwall, please visit. Inspiring and beautiful.

Barbara Hepworth's Studio

Here's my own attempt at art - a snapshot of the sunrise from our window.

On the needles, I've had an incredibly productive couple of weeks. The weekend before we went away, I treated myself to a ball of Rowan Cocoon to make up Ysolda's Icing Swirl Hat which I'd picked up the pattern for at Knit Nation in the summer. It was really rewarding to start and finish something just in a couple of days, I just wish I had a balloon to block it on, so that I can wear it!

I took quite a bit of work in progress away with me and so Cheadle is also coming on apace and all of it is now knit apart from the collar and cuffs. The central plaited panels and picking up for the top half didn't prove too difficult, but the thought of sewing the bottom section onto the plait is a little bit daunting, so I'm putting it off just a teensy little bit!

A bit of a mixed project is the blanket that I've been making for my study for - oh, only about the last three years! It started off as a bunch of squares, each in a different stitch, but I got bored and no two squares were even remotely the same size. Then it turned into a really rather lovely Moderne Log Cabin pattern from Mason Dixon Knitting's Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne, but it became unwieldy and sat gathering dust upstairs. Well, as they say, third time's a charm and I'm now on my sixth square of Diamond Afghan from Amy Butler's Midwest Modern Knits. And I'm loving it! It should be in aran, so I think it'll probably take about 60 squares altogether, but I'm off to a pretty happy start...

St Ives is served by not one, but two yarn stores, Kuiama Crafts on Fore Street and the really rather lovely House of Bartlett where the proprieter hit exactly the right spot when she asked if I needed any help, or if I was happy just to stroke the wool!

I'm also loving The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket. It's great just to dip in and out of whilst enjoying a bowl of porridge and a cup of tea in bed on a Saturday morning and I'm quite sure that it's going to inspire me to get some Christmas gifts started for friends and family. (Only six weeks to go - eek!)

In Cornwall, apart from the papers, I read only fiction: The White Woman on the Green Bicycle by Monique Roffey, The Road Home by Rose Tremain, The Cat Sanctuary by Patrick Gale and Life of Pi by Yann Martell. All great reads and perfect for a week away.

Getting Craftier

2010-10-26T14:05:00.000+01:00

Cheadle and Buttons

It may only be the end of October but my thoughts are already turning to Christmas! At work, I am organising a charity craft fair with the incredibly talented and stylish Juliet, for everyone to sell their homemade goodies, whilst raising a little bit of extra money for the National Literacy Trust. I'll be selling button jewellery as I did last year, which means that for the next four weekends I'll be creating, threading and glueing a new collection. This is the first batch and I'm really liking them so far. To see more of Juliet's work, check out her Jules and Clem shop on Folksy - it's gorgeous!

Pale and Pretty Buttons Bracelets

Bubby for Acorn

I've also been doing quite a lot of knitting and even some crochet. I've picked up Cheadle again and have finally managed to finish the plaited centre panels. (If you look really carefully, you can see a bit of them in the background of the photo at the top of this post.) I'm a little bit nervous about picking up an even amount of stitches above the central panels, but I am so determined to wear it this winter that I really am going to go for it. D and I are heading down to Cornwall in a couple of weeks' time, so I shall take it with me so that we can have a little bit of quiet time together - wish me luck! I've also made a second Noe Noa scarf, this time for my sister's birthday. I'd sort of forgotten how to crochet so the first couple of rows weren't quite perfect but before too long, I got right into the swing of it, although as the birthday approached I still found myself hooking right up to the wire! I completely forgot to take any photos, so Amanda very kindly got two of her dogs to model it – here are the results!

Tiggy Looking Lovely

Not so much a model as a prop.

"Look at me, look at me!"

Proper Posh

In other, very exciting news, D has graduated from Henley Business School with a very well-earned MBA! Last Friday we checked into the very-fancy-indeed Hotel du Vin for a couple of nights' of utter luxury. And as wonderful as the hotel was, the ceremony was even more amazing! I felt so proud to see him walk boldly across the stage, shake hands with the vice-chancellor and collect his certificate. We were joined for the day by D's twin and celebrated afterwards with champagne in the bar. Heaven. If you've never been to Henley-on-Thames, I can assure you that it is well worth a visit. It is such an idyllic location on the river with lovely pubs, bars and restaurants. (And the poshest loo in the world...)

Last but not least, I continue with the books and the baking. I've just taken a lovely tray of flapjacks out of the over ready for a picnic in London town tomorrow with my mum, dad and sister. Right now, I'm trying very hard to resist the urge to scoff the lot. The recipe is one of the easiest you could imagine. Melt 150g of butter in a medium sized pan with four tablespoons of golden syrup and 50g of brown sugar. When it's all mixed up add in 275g of porride oats and pour into a buttered and lined brownie tin. Bake at 190 degrees for 20 minutes (or until it looks yummy), leave for ten minutes to cool, cut up into snack sized squares then wolf down with a nice cup of tea.

Flapjacks - Yummy!

Last but not least, I've read quite a few books since my last post that I would heartily recommend: The Glass Room by Simon Mawer, The End of Mr Y by Scarlett Thomas, No and Me by Delphine de Vigan and The Earth Hums in B Flat by Mari Strachan.

Keeping it Cozy

2010-10-04T17:26:00.000+01:00

Mellow in Autumn

Autumn is well and truly here, and what a beautiful season it is. D and I took advantage of our location a few weeks ago and went for a long, lovely stroll through the New Forest. The sun was shining and the light through the trees was amazing. Wherever we walked there were fallen leaves and the most amazing mushrooms. D was incredibly patient as I stopped every few paces to capture yet another fine specimen on my new camera. We saw literally hundreds, in all shapes and sizes; in circles and rings; on trees and in hollows - they were everywhere!

We also made friends with quite a few of the gorgeous New Forest ponies, that roam through the woods and on the common land, but the best thing we saw was the Landford Village Autumnfest. I'm not sure that I have ever seen anything quite so bizarre as their scarecrow competition! Outside every other house in the village was a homemade scarecrow, some modelled on famous people; the Pope, the X-Factor judges, Wayne Rooney, some based on fantasy characters; all manner of fairies, the cast of The Wizard of Oz, Shrek, Borat(!) and some ordinary people; the cellarmen outside the Landford Poacher and the couple getting married outside the old chapel. It was brilliant - click on the link to see the overall winners.

The Finished Mittens

On the needles, I have now finished my winter mittens, and just in time too! Already, I have to leave for work in the dark, and that extra little bit of warmth will make all the difference as the days get colder. I've also made a little something fro Emily from the Poultry Cross Knitters who will soon be giving birth to her little acorn! I'm also embarking on another Noa Noe scarf for my sister and I am determined to finish Cheadle before cables go back out of fashion! It has been lovely seeing in all the glossy magazines just how much knitting has been shown on the catwalks of the various fashion weeks around the world - here's hoping that more people get knitted and join one of the most gentle crafts going. Mittens crossed!

Messing about with my iPhone!

I'm still completely smitten with my iPhone and happy downloading apps left, right and centre! My favourites so far include Hipstamatic, the Man Booker Prize app, Nike+ GPS for tracking my running and the LSE Mappiness social experiment app. Hours of fun, and my life is way more organised too!

Beautiful Oddness

Something else that I have enjoyed, almost beyond measure was The Enchanted Palace exhibition at Kensington Palace. I visited this weekend with my sister and it was quite possibly the best exhibition that I have ever been to. It was everything that I would imagine for a dark, beautiful, fairy tale brought to life in an enchanting setting. It contains dreamlike installations, fashion beyond compare, from the likes of Vivienne Westwood and Stephen Jones and William Tempest, a bewitching quest to uncover the stories of seven real-life princesses and contemporary art and poetry from some of the most talented modern artists. It's on until the 28th of February next year - if you can get to London, I urge you to go. Check out this blog of one of the characters Peter the Wild Boy.

One last thing - I have discovered a new passion - the joy of muffins! If only I had known years ago how easy it is to bake these lovely little beauties... So far, I have tried raspberry and white chocolate, banana and mile chocolate buttons and double-chocolate chip. I shall soon be as big as a house - but very, very popular!

Yummy!

Salut, mes amis!

2010-09-12T17:41:00.000+01:00

Sorry that it's been a little while since I last posted. I've been out and about having adventures, been on a wonderful holiday to Paris, celebrated a very special day with my family and even had my first autumnal picnic of the year.

First things first, Paris was amazing and D and I had a really relaxing week away. It wasn't a particularly touristy kind of holiday and we didn't really do very much. Mostly, we wandered around, watched the world go by while sitting in cafes and read our books in Les Jardins de Luxembourg.

Our trip started leisurely on the Eurostar from St Pancras International. It's such an easy way to travel, none of the stress of driving and much cheaper and easier than flying. I whiled away the two and a half hour journey with a spot of knitting (Bella's Mittens) and a great new magazine called Oh Comely. We had a little picnic on the way and were there before we knew it.

Getting to out hotel was one simple journey on the RER and thanks to the lovely JennyJ we didn't even have to worry about tickets as she had some left over from a recent family holiday. The hotel itself was stunning. Located in one of my favourite parts of town, The Five Hotel was incredibly chic and absolutely charming. Our room was beautifully designed and I particularly loved the little star-lights around the head of the bed.

In the five days that we spent there rather than try to pack things in, we just took it easy. We enjoyed a Beethoven recital at the Armenian Cathedral and a return trip to one of my favourite shops in the world, Entree des Fournisseurs at 8 rue des Francs Bourgeouis in Le Marais. It's the most amazing haberdashery and I could spend hours and hours browsing their buttons alone! As it was, I had my camera on me and they kindly allowed me to take photos of the rows and rows of ribbons and braids. Paradise! Here are some of the other pictures that I snapped with my trusty little Olympus, from Les Jardins de Luxembourg, Musee Rodin and a fabulous little stationers that we came across on our meanderings.

News from this side of the channel has been my parents' celebration of their ruby wedding anniversary and the renewal of their wedding vows. It was a wonderful ceremony, followed by a lovely party for friends and family back at their house. I was responsible for decorating the cupcakes (best job going, if you ask me) and D took charge of the drinks with my big brother Rich. A splendid time was had by all!

On the needles, the mittens are coming on apace and I've picked up Cheadle again. I've noticed in all of the fashion magazines that knitwear is seriously hot right now, so I'm determined to finish off this cabled sweater in time to look trendy (and snug) this winter! The Snapdragon Tam is all done, and accompanied me on the first cold-weather picnic to Boscombe Pier near Bournemouth.

The last of my little adventures was with my dear pal, Piney. We went to Go Ape before Paris, which now seems like a distant memory. The fact that it feels distant is a very good thing indeed, as I am now well on the way to forgetting the fear of climbing up and flinging myself out of trees at over 30 feet! With hindsight, it was great fun and something to be proud of, but at the time, I was simply terrified.

Lots More Knitting and Some Picnics!

2010-07-31T21:42:00.020+01:00

What a lovely few weekes I've had! Mostly made up of picnics and trips out and about. Work has been a bit stressful lately so I've been making the most of my evenings and weekends and having a bit of fun. Last week I treated myself to a visit to Knit Nation. I did manage not to spend very much money (which took huge amounts of effort!) and came away with a free Ysolda Teague pattern and lots and lots of inspiration and enthusiasm. One of the stands selling only laceweight yarn was heaving with knitters grabbing armfuls of the stuff. I just stood back and admired the beautiful colurs!

Last weekend D and I took a picnic out to Stourhead, which was glorious in the sunshine. I was particularly taken by the Pelargonium house that had this fabulously named specimen, Happy Thoughts. Isn't that great! We finished off this particular visit with a yummy afternoon tea at the local pub, The Spread Eagle. On Sunday, we attended the second Parklife event in the Council Gardens on Bourne Hill. DJs, live music, chilled out vibes and lounging around soaking up the atmosphere. Wonderful!

This weekend has been every bit as nice, if not quite so sunny. D and I went off for a walk in the New Forest. It was pretty moody - dark skies, purple heather, green gorse. We just about avoided the rain and met some very sweet ponies out for a stroll! Here's my favourite...

I’ve also read some really lovely books over the last few of weeks, Noah Barleywater Runs Away by John Boyne (author of award-winning and heart-rending YA novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas) and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers (creator of Lost and Found and The Incredible Book Eating Boy amongst others) which will be published by David Fickling Books in September. I also read Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly who wrote A Gathering Light one of my favourite upper teen reads. Revolution cleverly weaves the stories of two girls, one in contemporary NY and one in 18th century Paris. I quite often find in books with more than one story that I prefer one central character over another and skip over half of the book, but in this case I was completely absorbed by both if the girls’ stories and spent pretty much an entire day just devouring this book.

On the needles, I've started and finished my Snapdragon Tam, which is going to be wonderfully warm when winter arrives, and I've cast on Bella's Mittens too. I'll post a photo of the hat, just as soon as I've blocked it, but in the meantime, here's the newly cast-on mittens:

Lots of Knitting and a Little Bit of Culture

2010-07-18T18:46:00.014+01:00

I am delighted to say that the button-eyes for my owls sweater turned up this week, so I've spent a rather lovely afternoon actually finishing things off! Now, usually, I'm not a great one for finishing things, but this weekend I have managed not one, but two FOs! Normally, I find that I enjoy the process of knitting much more enjoyable that the pleasures of admiring the finished object, but for some reason I've really wanted to get the owls done. I wonder if this is to do with what a beautiful pattern it is. Or maybe it has something to do with the nights getting longer...? On my walk to work, I've noticed that a couple of the horse chestnut trees in Vauxhall Gardens already have some pretty big conkers that look nearly ready to drop, and leaves that are already on the turn. Don't get me wrong, I do love the summer - with it's sunshine and long lovely evenings, but there is something about getting wrapped up in your woolens and taking a brisk stroll through misty mornings, kicking through fallen leaves as you go. (And it'll be an excuse to wear owls - it's far too hot to wear anything wooly just now!)

The second finished object is a baby jumper for D's niece, Tess. For once I've thought it through and knitted it for when she is nine months to a year old, so it's all ready to send to them in October or November. I hope that they like it! Having finished off two projects also means that I can cast on two more, and with autumn on the way I've decided to go for the gorgeous Snapdragon Tam from Ysolda Teague's Whimsical Little Knits 2 in some super soft pale blue Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk that was languishing in my stash. I've also got my heart set on bella's mittens from subliminal rabbit's blog. I think they're stunning and they look so toasty to wear, too. I've treated myself to three skeins of ggh Giglio in marl grey from Loop Yarn's online shop, which will hopefully turn into a smashing pair of mittens.

Aside from knitting, I've been cramming in the culture. I've read a couple of amazing books, including the really rather special If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things by Jon McGregor. It's a poem of a book - nothing much happens, but when I was reading the book, it felt as if time had slowed down. Amazing. I've been home alone for the last fortnight while D was away in Singapore, so I've also had a bit of a movie-fest! I started off with A Single Man which was simply beautiful, followed that with Julie and Julia (great fun) and Precious which was deeply moving and topped it off with Up which was good, but not as good as it had been sold to me. Of the four I think I would watch the first and third again, as I loved them so much. I've also been making the most of my Spotify subscription and have been listening to Sigur Ros' ( ) Bombay Bicycle Club's I Had the Blues, But I Shook Them Loose and Teenage Fan Club's Shadows. It's so nice to be able to listen to whatever I like whenever like. Isn't the internet amazing?!

Messing About on the River

2010-07-04T18:18:00.022+01:00

Once my birthday celebrations were all over it became time to focus on a couple of physical challenges that I had set for myself for the summer. First off was a Superhero Dash around Greenwich Park in aid of theNational Literacy Trust. At work we've pledged to raise £30,000 for the NLT as part of our 30th anniversary year, and to help us along the way, 25 of us, and two superdogs Merlin and Puggy, dressed up like Where's Wally? and ran (or in my case jogged) 5k in public! Between us we raised nearly £6,000, which was a wonderful achievement.

What wasn't quite so wonderful was the state of my legs the following day, especially as I'd signed up for a Race for Life 10k with my sister that was due to take place in a fortnight! Two weeks of pretty intensive training were clearly needed, so I was out every other day to try and get in shape. On the day, we arrived at the Luton Hoo Estate in 35 degree heat! It was shockingly hot and just the thought of running anywhere was really daunting. What we didn't realise was that the course was dry, dusty, uneven and not at all flat... But, in spite of all of that, running out of water at 6k, and losing our support team due to a last minute course change, we did it! It may have taken rather longer than we were expecting, but we were pretty proud of our 1 hour 14 minutes and 7 seconds!

So, after a few weeks of pretty intensive exercise, this weekend has been a delight of lazing and eating and generally taking it easy. Yesterday, D and I were invited to an amazing barbecue with some dear friends who we used to work with. Claudia and Simon are two of the most wonderful, genial hosts and we ate so well that I thought I might have to be air-lifted out of their garden!

We followed that up with a trip today to D's alma mater, Henley Business School for their annual Members' Day, which always coincides with Henley Royal Regatta. We packed in a boat trip on the 112 year-old steamship Consuta, a delicious picnic, an incredibly difficult quiz and a yummy cream tea. Henley is always beautiful, but when the river is busy and buzzy, I love it even more. After this weekend, I really think I need to get my trainers back on and get out running again!

On the needles, I've very nearly finished a Debbie Bliss stripy little raglan-sleeved baby jumper from The Baby Knits Book for Tess. As soon as I get some extra cream Baby Cashmerino Aran I shall finish the last six rows and sew it all up. The owls sweater has buttons on order, but until they arrive I'm afraid that there won't be any photos. To make up for it, I will post some photos that I've taken with my new Olympus Pen E-PL1. It is an amazing camera - so light and easy to use. I took it for a walk around the Cathedral Close before WWKIPW on the 12th of June and got some really sweet shots.

Birthday Goodness

2010-06-13T18:22:00.013+01:00

Another year has passed, and always one to enjoy celebrating a birthday, last weekend was a real treat. I started the festivities slightly early this year, as my dear sister treated me to an incredibly posh afternoon tea at Sketch where we tucked into delicious cakes in heavenly surroundings! After tea we took our time wandering along Regent Street, popping into some of my favourite shops along the way.

The actual birthday morning started well, with breakfast in bed followed by presents! My main gift was the laptop I'm typing on a laptop, which is replacing my poor old babymac, as it has pretty much reached the end of its useful life. I was lucky enough to receive a subscription to Spotify to go with my new laptop, so I’ve been enjoying some new music; Manmade by Teenage Fanclub, Bang Goes the Knighthood by The Divine Comedy and Infinite Arms by Band of Horses. It’s amazing that you can listen to whatever you like whenever you like, and I will definitely be broadening my musical horizons. The rest of the day was spent picnicking, admiring the roses at Mottisfont and a lovely dinner at our local Italian, Alpinos. Marvellous.

Sunday saw us take a trip to Frome to check out the delights of St Catherine’s Artisan Market. It wasn’t exactly D’s cup of tea, but I loved it and will definitely return for a more leisurely visit. As it was, we certainly got stuck into a fabulous brunch at the Garden Café with Shona and Iain.

While we were in Frome I popped into Marmalade Yarns to stock up on Cashmerino Aran. D and I stayed with his brother and sister-in-law last night, so I had to knit like a crazy-girl this week to start (and finish) a baby jumper for his new niece Tess! It took quite a while just to decide which pattern to knit, and I thought that I'd settled on Debbie Bliss's Raglan Jumper, until I realised that it was far too warm for the summer and that in order for it to be useful I would need to make a size that I wouldn't quite have enough wool for! Luckily Ravelry, and a mercy dash to John Lewis on Tuesday lunchtime, came to the rescue and I made her a supercute Debbie Bliss Shrug over three train journeys and a knitting club! Also on the needles, I have cast on a navy swing cardigan and I've blocked out my owls sweater. (Will add photos when I've bought and attached the button eyes...)

One last treat, was a trip to my favourite museum the V&A to see their Quilts exhibition. It was really wonderful and incredibly inspirational. It's on until the 4th of July so if you do get a chance to visit - take it!

(Almost) The Perfect Weekend

2010-05-23T20:22:00.025+01:00

Wow! What a wonderful weekend. After a slightly shaky, not to mention queasy, start I hopped on the train to Bath to join my sister for a spot of pampering. She'd spent a pretty hardcore week walking over 100 miles along the Cotswold Way (crazy girl, eh?!) and a bit of TLC was most definitely in order! First off was a trip to my favourite vegetarian restaurant Demuth's where, along with Amanda's friends Claire and Jo, we polished off a whole table full of treats, including chickpea bites, labna, a deli dip platter and some delicious lemon and herb arancini.

After lunch Amanda and I hit the shops for a spot of retail therapy. Shop of the day was probably Bloomsbury, where I found an amazing ring - a sterling silver band with a single silver button on it. Perfect! We were also very keen on All Saints, where we tried on pretty much every dress in the store and had our very own personal shopper! I even managed to buy a pair of skinny fit jeans that actually fit.

After all that shopping it was time for the pampering to begin. Amanda was treating us both to a full spa session and a treatment each, so we headed off to the Thermae Bath Spa. We started off in the open-air rooftop pool and soaked ourselves in the warm, bubbling spa water in glorious sunshine, while admiring the beautiful city skyline. Feeling pretty relaxed, we went down to the main pool for a bit of a swim, then into the scented saunas and foot baths. After two luxurious hours we parted company for our treatments. I was booked into a Balinese Dry Flotation session, which was simply heaven. I think I've got the world's best sister - thanks Amanda!

Sunday, saw me collected from the station by David and whisked off for a picnic and a stroll at Mottisfont. It was so beautiful and the flowers in the walled garden were just stunning. I can't wait to go back in a few weeks to see all of the roses in bloom. To round off the weekend we stopped off for a deliciously cold pint of cloudy cider in the beer garden of The Mill Arms in Dunbridge. I'm a bit sad that D is away now for the week, but aside from that it really was a perfect weekend!

Enjoying a Week by the Sea

2010-05-09T12:42:00.034+01:00

The last week has been a real tonic, taking it easy on the south coast, enjoying long, lazy lie-ins, lovely days out and about on the seashore, and late-night lounging with a glorious glass of wine. Finishing work on Friday night was a great start to the week and a real treat, as my friend Claire and I popped along to South Kensington to visit the Grace Kelly, Style Icon exhibition at the V&A. It was achingly beautiful and oh so glamorous. (But did leave me feel ever so slightly scruffy!)

Saturday morning, I drove down to enjoy the peace and tranquility of Lyme Regis, one of my favourite places to be in the world. D and I rented an apartment in the beautiful Coram Tower for a little bit of the quiet life. It was great to be right in the middle of town and to be able to just pop down to the beach, or the Cobb, anytime we wanted for a stroll and simply to be by the water.

I picked up the needles and have nearly finished my Owls sweater. I even treated myself to four pairs of stunning vintage knitting needles from my favourite Lyme shop, Susie Cole.

We passed many tranquil hours reading some great books, including Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier (set in Lyme, and featuring one of her most famous inhabitants, Mary Anning) and Tree Surgery for Beginners by Patrick Gale. I also enjoyed a couple of movies, Gideon's Daughter and Coco Before Chanel. D and I visited the Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth. They do amazing work at the sanctuary and have up to 400 donkeys at any given time. My personal favourite was a very cute fellow named Mr Walter Baker! I tried to invite him home to stay with us, but I think we might have been a bit tight for space in the Volvo!

Highlight of the week has to be dinner on Friday night - chips on the beach with a glass of something cold and fizzy! What more could you want from life...?

And here is my nearly finished Owls sweater.

Congratulations Mr & Mrs!

2010-05-09T12:08:00.007+01:00

Conratulations to Shona and Iain! The big day finally arrived and what a day it was! The bride was beautiful, the sun shone, the brother of the bride speech reduced everyone to tears, and D even managed to make me look like I knew what I was doing at the ceilidh! (Although the waltzing did make me a little bit dizzy!) It was such a happy day and it was wonderful to see my dear friends so deeply full of joy.

The ceremony was held at St Giles Church in Stanton St Quintin, Wiltshire, officiated by a rather charmingly eccentric vicar, with the reception held at Stanton Manor, where we celebrated with Pimms on the lawn, a hog roast and dancing into the small hours. Sorry for the distinct lack of photos, but I was either busy carrying out my bridesmaidly duties or plain having fun! The button bouquets and bracelets were loved by the flower girls and the wedding favours seemed to go down really well too. (Fingers crossed for a lottery millionaire...)

The happy couple are now off to start married life with their honeymoon in Thailand and Cambodia. Hope that they have a wonderul time.

Enjoying the Weekend Sunshine

2010-04-18T17:45:00.018+01:00

Yesterday saw the first visit of the year to our second-closest National Trust property, Mottisfont, near Romsey in Hampshire. The sun was shining brilliantly and the flowers in the gardens were just beautiful. The magnolia trees were out in an amazing display and there were some stunning bright yellow tulips in the walled garden which in early June (just in time for my birthday) will become one of the most fragrant and charming rose gardens you could ever want to visit.

We rounded off the visit with a locally made ice creams (or in my case an elderflower sorbet) and a trip to the gift shop to buy a very gentle bag of National Trust wholemeal flour, ground at neighbouring property, Winchester City Mill. I've since turned a pound of it into a lovely little loaf for this week's sandwiches. Gentle!

This afternoon was spent delightfully in the Cathedral Close, relaxing in the sunshine on a blanket reading (with a chocolate ice cream!). Beads, Boys and Bangles by Sohpia Bennett is the sequel/second in a series, following on from Threads, a very stylish YA novel, which won last year's Times/Chicken House prize for an unpublished author.

Knitting-wise, there's not a great deal going on on the needles, as I'm still finishing up favours for the wedding next weekend. Luckily they're pretty much all done now (just a few more names to come in) and I'm looking forward to a wonderful day!

I did have a little bit of time to spend on Folksy, where I came across the most fabulous Lego stitch-markers from The Bothered Owl. I couldn't resist and ended up buying a set each of flowers and owls! Check out the whole range that Alex and Sarah have created, it's just brilliant!

Keeping Busy

2010-04-05T19:45:00.016+01:00

It's been a tough couple of weeks, and while I've been home alone I've really been trying to keep busy to stop getting sad. This weekend, I've been supercrafty and made nearly half of the wedding favours and finished off the button bouquets for the flower girls. I've also learned the 'magic loop' technique for the sleeves of Owls (thank you Knit Picks on Videojug), which I am loving, especially as sewing together is not my favourite thing!

I've also enjoyed a couple of movies 500 Days of Summer, Bright Star and Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist. And I've nearly finished Notes From an Exhibition which is both moving and beautiful and every bit as good as The Whole Day Through. Click here to check out his website, which features his newest title Gentlemen's Relish. (Which I'm sure I'll be adding to my reading list shortly.)

Today I've been out walking with my Mum and Dad around the city of Salisbury and up to Old Sarum for a picnic. It was lovely to see them both, and we were blessed with seeing the first ducklings of spring in a 14-strong brood! Here's hoping that after a week of pretty miserable rain, spring is finally on its way!

Only nice things!

2010-03-28T18:23:00.012+01:00

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.

I Love Yarn!

2010-03-14T18:54:00.013Z

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.

Spring is on the Way

2010-03-01T13:54:00.015Z

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.

Back to Knitting

2010-02-07T17:59:00.016Z

I have rediscovered my love of knitting! And it turns out that all I needed was some new wool. After a joyous bonus at work I have invested heavily in Rowan Cocoon from my LYS and have started on Cheadle by Marie Wallin as featured in volume 13 of The Knitter. It's a contemporary cable knit pattern with a giant plait horizontally across the middle with a ribbed waist and a garter stitch cow. It's a gorgeous pattern, that I hope will look fantastic and Cocoon is such a soft, gentle yarn to knit with, that I'm fully expecting that the whole thing will be a real pleasure to work up.

I have frogged, knit and re-frogged my leftovers scarf. I still don't know exactly what the wool is going to become but I'm hoping that, in its own sweet time, it will just come to me. I'd still like it to be a scarf, but am veering towards a pair of chunky round-the-house socks. I've also fallen head over heels with Kate Davies owls pattern. Until April the 1st, all of Kate's profits on this pattern will be going to Médecins Sans Frontières, to assist the relief effort in Haiti, so get on over to Ravelry and buy yourself a copy now!

Other exciting news is that D and I are going to have a beautiful new living room by the next time I post here. We're just living with a few swatches on the wall and have narrowed it down to two different colours; one a stoney white and the other a warm biege. They both have something to recommend them, but we're completely split on which will look best, so may end up tossing a coin to decide. Whichever we choose, I'm really looking forward to having somewhere serene and lovely to spend our evenings.

I've absolutely loved browsing Folksy for some affordable artwork and have made some purchases from TerrorDome, Lola's Room, Tim Irving and artquirk. I can hardly wait until they arrive and we can put them up with some of our own art.

Currently working my way through The House of Night series by P.C. and Kristin Grant - completely mindless, but oh so readable!

January – The Longest Month of the Year?

2010-01-24T18:39:00.007Z

It's been three weeks, since I last posted here and it feels like it's been even longer. I don't know if it was to do with going back to work, or D being away, or the fact that I've been busy every weekend, but it just seems as if January is taking an age to pass. Still, I'm sure that it's taking longer for any of that you out there who have decided that January is the month to detox!

On the upside of the last three weeks, we have had some lovely, lovely snow. No I know that there are some people that hate the snow. Yes, it makes it difficult to get out and about. And yes, it is cold and wet. But still, I think it's just beautiful. There's something about the pure, brilliant white snow on the fields that just brings a smile to my face every single time I see it. Every day, I get up early to either walk (or in good weather, cycle) to the station, and there is nothing nicer than being the first person to walk through the newly-fallen snow. Heaven!

This weekend D and I found ourselves with a little time on our hands, so we took a trip for the first time to Salibsury City Football Club, to watch them humping Histon FC 3–0! We were in the old men's stand, and it was so much fun. It was alos pretty cold, so the celebratory dances did wonders in keeping us warm! I've also been out for a good long run in the sunshine and spent a couple of hours up in my den with my lovely Janome serwing machine. It just purrs! Here's a snap of the dress so far; pockets are on, side and back seams are together and the sleeves are nearly finished.

To round off a lovely weekend, D and I are having our Burns' Night supper a night early tonight. It is, of course, a veggie haggis and I'm dishing it up with the traditional buttered neeps and tatties. Yum, yum! (I only hope that there'll be enough left over to have again for lunch tomorrow!

On the needles, I have picked up my study blanket again and I should hopefully finish off my crochet scarf in the next week or two...

New Beginnings

2010-01-03T18:38:00.016Z

Happy New Year and happy new beginnings to you all! 2010 has arrived and I wish that the year brings you only happiness. No great resolutions were undertaken by me, but I am hoping that this year will be as good as last and I shall endeavour to enjoy every minute. D and I got off to a rather nice start with a trip to Bournemouth for a stroll along the beach in the afternoon sun. It was quite buzzy and busy, and a great start to the year.

I've already started enjoying my new sewing machine. I laid out the pattern for my new dress and realised that I could really do with a pin cushion to help me out. A quick search of Threadbanger and Craft lead me to Planet June's tutorial for an Offset Square Wrist Pincushion for which I put my Janome into good use for the first time yesterday afternoon. I think that it might have to be a weekends only project as it feels as though I want to spend sizable chunks of time on it. I promised pictures as I go along, so here are the pattern pieces so far.
On the needles right now, I still have the study blanket and the lacy tea top, both of which are having a bit of a rest, so I'm using up my odds and ends to make up a stash-busting crochet scarf. (Accompanied in this picture by the stunning grey velvet bag that my sister gave me for Christmas!)
Off the needles, I am enjoying re-reading The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper, I've started running again, and I've also had a lovely night out with my dear friend Piney to see New Moon. Lastly, I'm loving listening to some new music thanks to an iTunes voucher from David. This week on my iPod it's been largely Scouting for Girls, Paloma Faith, Muse, La Roux, Jay-Z and The Temper Track.

The Eve of the Year

2009-12-29T13:25:00.019Z

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...

2009-12-06T17:45:00.011Z

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

2009-11-29T19:16:00.010Z

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

2009-11-15T11:55:00.032Z

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

2009-10-28T20:20:00.010Z

“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!

2009-10-11T17:19:00.011+01:00

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

2009-09-27T15:30:00.012+01:00

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

2009-09-20T19:57:00.008+01:00

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

2009-08-29T18:24:00.023+01:00

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

2009-08-23T17:21:00.012+01:00

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

2009-08-15T19:38:00.013+01:00

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

2009-07-26T19:31:00.006+01:00

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

2009-07-19T16:04:00.025+01:00

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!

2009-06-28T18:36:00.024+01:00

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!

2009-06-14T19:36:00.012+01:00

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...

2009-05-24T12:38:00.020+01:00

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

2009-04-19T16:21:00.003+01:00

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!

2009-04-13T12:39:00.017+01:00

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?

Not Knitting!

2009-04-05T15:48:00.015+01:00

This weekend I have been attempting (again) to learn to crochet! I've got quite a lot of Rowan 4ply Cotton in my wool box and while I'm waiting for extra supplies for the Soft Green Capelet, I thought that I'd get some good use out of it. To that end I searched Ravlery for a pattern that used 4ply cotton (I really do love that feature) and found Noe Noa by Bente Barosen. It's really beautiful and because it's crochet, it should be quite challenging too! Luckily, I had a trip planned to Bristol with my dear friends Piney and Lib, so on the train journey Libby helped me with getting started. Once more, I can confirm that Libby is a much more patient teacher than I am student! Getting home, I started it again, and here it is so far!

I'm not convinced that crochet is going to become my favourite craft, but it is nice to do something different. The button business is still going strong and I've recently finished a number of commissions. I've particularly enjoyed crafting this trio of bracelet, brooch and ring for a particluarly lovely friend, Angie. Creating something for friends is such a pleasure and I really hope that she loves them!

I've also been doing a spot of baking for a charity cake stall in aid of Redress. Louise, who I sit next to at work, is running the London Marathon to raise funds for this wonderful human rights charity and everyone in the department is chipping in to help her reach her target of £1,200. She's very nearly there - and you can help her on her way by clicking here.

Louise has been training incredibly hard and is doing brilliantly! I really admire her and anyone who has the determination, strength and courage to run over 26 miles. I'm not sure that it's something I could ever acheive - no matter how worthy the cause...

Good luck, Louise!

Something a little bit different!

2009-03-21T15:23:00.006Z

Here's a wonderful recipe that was sent to me by a very dear friend who lives in New Zealand. It's very similar to an amazing floating island chocolate pudding that my sister makes, and it almost makes me want to buy a microwave!

5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips or (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract and your favourite tipple
1 large mug

Add dry ingredients to your largest mug and mix well.

Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.

Add the chocolate chips (if using), vanilla extract and a drop or two of your favourite tipple, then mix again.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (high).
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!

Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).

Things I Like...

2009-03-19T14:15:00.024Z

The sunsine is helping me feel very positive today, and while I was out walking I came up with a list (in no particular order) of things that bring a smile to my face.

1) Books and the Library
This week, I've read two rather wonderful books The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a series of letters to and from an author in the late 1940s after the island of Guernsey had been liberated from Nazi occupation. The characters are delightful and the book itself is gentle, witty and warm. An absolute delight. The second book A Vintage Affair, set in the here and now was slightly lighter, but still had a link to WWII, but was still a really enjoyable read. And as for the library, I seem to get nearly all of my books from the library these days. You can get all the best new books (up to twelve at a time) and borrow them for three weeks at a time and all for nothing - it's brilliant!

2) Long Walks
Today I walked for four hours in the spring sunshine up and around Clarendon Palace to the north of Salisbury. I saw five deer, five humans, four dogs and three birds of prey (might need to get a spotter's guide to help with identification!) and it was simply beautiful.

3) Breakfast in Bed
Which I got this morning, courtesy of the lovely David. Brown toat with peanut butter and sliced bananas with a lovely strong cup of tea and the aforementioned A Vintage Affair.

4) Watching Trashy TV!
Right now I am absolutely hooked on America's Next Top Model, Project Runway, (both on Sky, I think) Gossip Girl on ITV2 and Mad Men on BBC2. It's quite embarassing, but I love them!

5) Being Crafty
Whether it's knitting, button jewellery or books; I love the creative process. Long may we make!

6) Long Langurous Baths
After a long day at work, or out walking, there's nothing more relaxing than a deep, hot bath, preferably with a book and the radio for company. (And I'm heading for one very soon...)

7) Polyvore.com
I simply love this site. I only discovered it this week by accident and I am hooked. Click on the link at your peril as it'll have you sucked in before you know it! It's like all the best things about fashion without having to even buy anything. Free retail therapy! Like publishing your own glossy magazine! Heaven!

Golden Afternoon Dreams - by Sparkleknits on Polyvore.com

8) My Job
I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and although I do seem to come home fed up quite often, I am actually a very lucky girl. I get paid to do something I love, now how many people can really say that? (Time to stop complaining, I think and enjoy my job more.)

9) Capybaras
They're the cutest creatures on the planet. Enough said.

There are Cats in this Blog

2009-02-22T17:34:00.009Z

There are Cats in this Blog
Originally uploaded by sparkleknits

Huge progress on the cats this week - four down, five to go! The wool has arrived to finish off all nine, so this week I'll be making cats on the train. (It does earn me some funny looks, but it's also earning me some spare change, so that's just fine by me!) In a way, I think I'll be quite sad to have finished the cats, as they've been quite good fun and I've struck up all sorts of conversations with my fellow passengers about Tiny, Andre and Moonpie!

I'm also delighted to say that I've finished the mystery beret. I'm not entirely sure that it suits me and I'd made it extra slouchy which turned out, looked just plain silly so I've put it through the washing machine on a hot wash in an attempt to make it look slightly less ludicrous... It's still blocking at the moment, so here it is looking slightly flat. If it ends up wearable, I'll post a picture of it being modelled next week!

On the button front, there's been a further sale from BelleButtons and I've got another couple of commissions to boot. And I've finally finished my latest freelance project. Hoorah!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2009-02-15T14:54:00.009Z

SuperStar Button Ring
Originally uploaded by sparkleknits

Sorry that it's been a while. I've been completely absorbed by buttons while Jez and I have been setting up our Etsy page. I am delighted to say that it is now up and running, so do please stop by BelleButtons and take a look at our wares! So far we've sold five items to two different people, and as we've only been going for two weeks, I'm pretty chuffed with that! Our page isn't completely finished yet, as I've not managed to write our biography yet, but hopefully that'll be done in the next day or so, and then I'll start really yelling about it!
I've been trying uploading pictures directly from Flickr as I find it really frustrating that I have to load pictures up to (and from) different places for Blogger, Ravlery and Etsy. Hopefully, this will work okay - who knows! It seems okay so far, and I've managed to add some additional text to this post, so that's looking pretty good.

Now that I'm getting back on track a bit, I've decided to cast on a new projecct with the lovely Aran that my mum gave me before she left for India. The Mystery Beret (or Meret as it's also known) is a great pattern from Wormheads and it's really quick to knit up, which is particularly useful as it's so cold right now! Here's a picture of how it looks so far...

I am still working very hard on the cats and intend wto have the first unholy trinity completely finished by the end of this week! (So far I've got one Tiny, who has just one ear that needs stitching on and a Moonpie, with limbs but no face, who's only half-stuffed!)

I've also got yet more freelance work to do and a choker to make for the niece of one of my friends from work, so I'd really better get off this blog and go and do some work!

Keep on Truckin'

2009-01-18T17:45:00.007Z

It feels that since the New Year has started, I've barely had time to stop and think! I'm still knitting for Corinne and the bundle of cats that I've been making is getting bigger and bigger! I need to buy some more blue and mustard wool, some stuffing and some tapestry wool to finish up, but I'm well on the way to getting them finished with six of the wee timorous beasties in the bag, as it were! I was lucky enough to meet the author of the book on the stairs as I was leaving the office on Friday night and she was as charming as her book!

I've also been making button bracelets as if they were going out of fashion. (Which I sincerely hope they won't!) I've had six requests in the last week, so it was very fortunate indeed that I had got a stash in just before Christmas. I'm thinking of investing in some more buttons and selling them through the fabulous Etsy site. In fact, I've just got back from a swim with a friend of mine and she's volunteered her very talented husband to help me set up a page. (Think that I might just take her up on that offer!)

I've also been doing some freelance work, which is quite time-consuming, but incredibly appreciated in financial terms. In fact, I really should be typing right now, rather than writing this.

On a lighter note, D and I have a new house guest in the form of a Cork Pixie called Pim! It would appear that he turned up while we were away over Christmas, when my dear friend Libby was around looking after the cat! We hadn't even noticed that he'd been living in a printer's block drawer on the stairs, until Libby asked if we'd noticed something hidden in plain sight! He was a roaring success at knitting club and Jenny J has even knitted him a little wife, who has been named Pam! Watch this space for news on any little corkettes...

...and a Happy New Year!

2008-12-29T13:46:00.026Z

Sorry that it's been a while since I last blogged- I've been so busy knitting and making things in the run up to Christmas that I've hardly had time for anything else! Over the last few weeks, I've made over twenty button bracelets, knitted two hats, a baby jumper, finished a shrug and I've even started a commission for three sets of knitted cats for my friend Corinne. The cats are from a children's book published by Walker Books and you can download the pattern here.
Christmas itself was lovely, spent with David's brother, his wife and four-year-old son, before moving onto my sister's place for Boxing Day. (When we met her new Deerhound puppy Loki!) I even managed an MSN webchat with Mum and Dad in India on Christmas Day, it was quite hard to keep up as my sister was online too and I'm sure that there were at least three conversations going on at the same time. Since then I've received three emails and a lovely long letter, detailing their life over there- which is certainly very different from back here.

One of my favourite gifts was a fabulous green and pink Clothkits skirt covered in pictures of cars from my sister, which I'm really looking forward to making up. I think I'll need to go back to my parent's house to borrow their sewing machine though, as I wouldn't fancy my chances of doing a good enough job by hand!

Before they left, Mum and Dad had a bit of a clear-out and I've inherited some rather lovely Aran and eight balls of an orange acrylic curiously named Torpedo Fluffy! I'm not quite sure what to actually do with them, so answers on the back of a postcard please...Finally, I've bought yet more buttons, this time two packets; one of packet of peacock coloured buttons and also a beautiful ruby red selection. I just need to get some more twine and I'll be back in production before you know it.

Christmas is Coming...

2008-12-14T18:08:00.003Z

I've had an eventful few weeks saying goodbye to my Mum and Dad, spending time with friends and getting ready for Christmas.

I saw M&D both last weekend and the weekend before, in Walkern at my sister's place and then at their home in Gloucester. It was very precious to have time with them before they set off on their awfully big adventure, and I still can't quite get my head around the idea that I won't see them until June next year! They flew out to Hyderabad on Wednesday, and so far I've had a secondhand text that came in via Amanda. They've lost one of their bags on the way over, and unfortunately that was the one with the laptop power cable in, so all of our MSN practice hasn't actually come into use yet!

Work has been busy, and I've sold nearly twenty of my button bracelets to various colleagues. This has been an absolute godsend as it's meant I've had much more money to spend on Christmas presents than I would've had otherwise! I've been pretty busy with my knitting for various gifts. Angie's mittens are very nearly finished, Amanda's shrug is only six inches away from being ready to finish off and last night I cast on yet another Odessa hat for Tamsin. I've also spent today making some little gifts for the lovely people in my department at work. They're very, very handmade looking- but I hope they'll like them anyway! Last, but certainly not least, I was lucky enough to get my dear friend Libby in a Secret Santa of all the girls that I used to work with at Ottakar's and I have got just the most perfect present for her... (I'm not saying anymore in case she reads this before I see her!)

Other news, is that Feefer and Rob had their baby this week, so her baby blanket will hopefully be in use right now! Oscar was born on Thursday after a very long labour, weighing in at 6lbs 1oz and is absolutely perfect! I've seen a picture of him and I can't wait to meet him in the flesh...

Anyway, I must dash as I really do need to write some Christmas cards now. Have a great week all- hope that you're really feeling festive!

Christmas Presents

2008-11-30T15:17:00.015Z

This week has been quite a good week for knitting as I've managed to finish my first present for Christmas, a baby blue Tammy beret for Corinne and I'm cracking on with a second. (I'm halfway through the second of a pair of mittens for Angie.) It's also been quite an interesting week on the IT front, as I've switched from Safari to Firefox so that I could run MSN Messenger on my lovely old Mac.

The need to update has come from the wonderful event of my Mum and Dad heading off for a grand adventure in Southern India for the next six months. The plan is that Mum, Dad, my sister and I will all keep in touch through a weekly webchat. I'm quite tempted to set up a blog for them, so that everyone back here will be able to follow their travels. In fact I think that could make an interesting Christmas present for them as I know that they won't be taking much with them and that's a present that wouldn't weigh anything at all!

I've also set up a group on Ravelry called Kids Lit Knits for knitters working in children's publishing. It's mostly made up of the lovely knit-chicks from work, but we have had a couple more people join already.

We're holding our charity craft fair at work this week, and I've just finished my last button bracelets. I've made four with larger buttons and twelve with smaller ones. Everyone who's seen them so far has been really flattering about it, so here's hoping that I can sell some of them and make a little bit of pocket money to buy Christmas gifts with.

I ♥ Buttons

2008-11-23T14:42:00.020Z

Here's a photo of my button box:

I've got a bit button-crazy over the last few weeks. We're holding a Christmas Craft Fair at work on the 2nd of December, so I've been beavering away at making some button bracelets to sell. I can make a couple of bracelets on each train journey into work and so far people really seem to like them, so here's hoping that I'll sell a few on the day...

It's been great fun going through my button box and sorting them all out into colours that compliment each other:

On the knitting front, the Walker Knitting Club have finished the baby blanket for Fi's baby. She came in this week and we presented it to her. She was absolutely delighted, which was just brilliant! I'd spent most of last weekend sewing all of the different pieces together (which was quite challenging as they were all in very different tensions!) and adding a cream border to bring it all together and finish it off properly. I'm afraid that I didn't manage to take a photograph of it, but here's very poor quality photo from my phone that gives you an idea of what it looked like!
(Back row from from left to right: Sarah, Cheryl, Jenny, Gemma
Front row: Me, Fiona, Angela, Stephanie
Missing from the photo: Judy, Caroline and Jenny J)

New York, New York

2008-11-16T21:17:00.004Z

And what an amazing city it is!

From the taxi journey in from JFK to the top of the Rockerfeller Centre, David and I had amazing few days in New York. There is something quite wonderful about seeing the New York skyline for the first time. It's really breathtaking, and yet at the same time there's something incrediblt familiar about it. I managed to keep our destination a secret right up to check-in (which quite frankly amazed me) and I'd give anything to see the expression on David's face all over again!

Our hotel, The Gershwin Hotel was brilliantly located in midtown, two blocks up from the Flat Iron building and just a short walk from Greenwich village, where we ate most nights in some really wonderful restaurants.

We crammed a lot into our four days in the city, visting Central Park, the Guggenheim, Battery Park, Greenwich Village, Macy's and Bloomingdale's. We saw Times Square, travelled on the Staten Island Ferry, went ice skating in Bryant Park, watched a Little League game and took the lift all the way to the 'Top of the Rock'.

Top moments for me were, the ice skating, listening to Bach's Mass in B Minor at St Paul's Chapel (near Wall Street), seeing raccoons in Central Park, eating pizza by the slice and drinking the most fabulously extravagant Apple Martini in Tavern on the Green in Central Park.

Here are a couple more pictures; one of me in Times Square, the iconic telescopes that are on top of the highest buildings and a long exposure shot of the ice skating, with the Empire State Building in all her glory in the background...

Gone to the Dogs!

2008-10-21T10:20:00.006+01:00

Well, what a lovely weekend! I’ve been staying at my sister’s house in the middle of nowhere looking after her two fabulous lurchers; Max and Tiggy. We went for four walks (two long and two short) and had a number of adventures including catching a rabbit (bleurgh!) and a scientific experiment to see if you really can get two human adults, two very large dogs and a small but fluffy cat into a standard double bed. (And the answer is yes, but it gets a bit cosy!) Unfortunately, I was far too busy with the dogs to make anything with my buttons, which have arrived already.

On the knitting front, I have started off quite a large project at work. My dear friend (and fellow founder member of the Walker Book Knitting Club) Feefer is due to have a baby just before Christmas and I’ve adapted this log cabin blanket pattern so that everyone can knit their own piece then I can sew them together and knit a border to finish it off. So far I’ve got three pieces in, so nine more are due. We’re keeping it a surprise and I can’t wait to see the look on her face when we present her with the finished article!
Speaking of surprises, David’s birthday trip is this weekend. I’ve managed to keep where we’re going a secret since May, but just keeping the destination under my hat for this last week is proving most challenging!

It's Been a While...

2008-10-11T20:44:00.006+01:00

Autumn is really setting in now, and I'm slowly getting used to the change in season. It's hard leaving the house in the dark and getting home in the dark, but I'm sure that once it's properly dark and I'm used to it, I'll be back to my normal cheerful self...

I have been out and about since my last post; picnicing with my old Ottakar's friends, visting Claire, Nig and Oliver in Devon, back to Stourhead with Martin and his new wife Melanie, and down to Christchurch to meet up with my parents for dinner in their campervan.

I've also been a bit crafty; making my first Christmas present for this year, continuing with Flicca, starting a new project called Glister and trying to organise a special baby blanket for Fi at work, that will have a square knit by ever member of the knitting club at work! The Social Committee at work are organising a Christmas Craft Fair, so I've ordered lots and lots of buttons from The Button Company to make some bracelets to sell for Christmas presents.

Today I've been making a birthday present for my sister Amanda. Here are some pictures of how it looks:

Back to School

2008-09-14T18:10:00.006+01:00

Well, September really is here, which means that I really need to get a move on with my Flicca cardigan. The scale of Flicca is ambitious and I've been making progress, but to date, I still have one sleeve and the collar to do and I really, really want to start wearing it as soon as it gets cold.

David and I went to Stourhead for the first time in a while yesterday, where we saw these beautiful hydrangeas. We had a lovely walk around the lake and saw five cygnets and our first autumnal leafdrop. Stourhead is one of may favourite places to go and I can't wait to see the place in all it's autumnal beauty.

I do love autumn. I love going for walks in the afternoon. I love it when it's cold, but the sun is shining. I love the colours out there in the world. And I love being safe and warm at home on those cold dark evenings.

A Pair of Odessas!

2008-08-31T20:26:00.005+01:00

...and on the knitting front, I've been none too lazy either. I started an Odessa by Grumperina in a lovely grey alpaca bought from my favourite wool shop, I Knit London last weekend and managed to finish it in a couple of days. It's proven so popular I've already made a second for my friend Helen, who is celebrating her birthday next week. It's such a great pattern- really easy, great fun to knit and incredibly satisfying in the speed it knits up. I also love how impressive the finished object looks, and how nice it is to wear.

I shall have to get a move on with my Flicca now and try not to get distracted by any more projects, especially if I want to have it ready to wear before it starts getting cold. Brrrrr!

Beautiful Cambridge

2008-08-31T12:58:00.017+01:00

Last weekend was a busy weekend, firstly at a fabulous party entitled Shrewfest hosted by my dear friends Piney and Jez in their new(ish) house in Shrewton, then on Monday David and I went to beautiful Cambridge. Most of the day was spent just wandering through the alleys and strolling along the river, we even had the treat of being punted along from Magdalene College down to Queens. In the evening we dined at The Cambridge Chop House, where we had one of the most wonderful dinners I think I've ever eaten!

I was so taken with Cambridge that I took nearly fifty photographs- here's just a couple of my favourites...

David and I are off to Parklife right now (a party in a park very close to where we live) but hopefully I'll manage another update on my knitting progress over the last couple of weeks.

Knitting in Public

2008-08-17T18:27:00.010+01:00

I've had a lovely knit-filled weekend; starting one project and finishing another. Leah's jumper is all finished, and I'm just waiting for it to dry so that I can wrap it up as a brown paper parcel and send it winging it's way to Fi and Paul's.

This afternoon has been spent with a picnic in the Close of Salisbury Cathedral, where I got stuck into Odessa by Grumperina. It was really nice to be able to sit out and David took the opportunity to get some study in for his dissertation, in what may well be the last of the summer sun...

On the book front, I've just started A Man of Property the first book in the epic The Forsyte Saga series, by John Galsworthy. Set in Victorian London, these books are intelligent, witty, lavish and simply wonderful. I'm really looking forward to reading every last word in the series!

A Week of Rain

2008-08-09T20:13:00.010+01:00

It seems to have rained pretty much non-stop since we put in out our little seating area last weekend. David and I have managed only half an hour outside today, which is a shame (especially for August!) but hopefully we'll be able to make up for it next weekend. By which time, I should also have finished little Leah's baby jumper.

On the up side, I've read a lovely book this week by Justine Picardie called My Mother's Wedding Dress. It's a collection of essays on life, family and social history; all told through the story of clothes and fashion. I'm not usually a great reader of non-fiction, but this was a pleasure to read!

Other treats this week have been lunch with my sister, who gave me a rather delightful metallic pink bag called Amore from my favourite bag company, Ollie & Nic.

I've also stayed with my dear friend Shona in her new house in North London. We had a very girly night in, putting the world to rights with some pink fizz and a movie! The next day we went out to the local Aquadrome to walk Tali, the weimararner, before heading back to some warming tomato and mascarpone soup with cheesey herby scones. Yum!

A Lovely Long Weekend

2008-08-04T14:13:00.004+01:00

I’ve had such a lovely long weekend of it that I’ve not really had time to post here, so here’s a quick update of what I’ve been up to.

My weekend started early, with Mum and Dad meeting me on Thursday night to stay for the weekend. It was great to see them and they were wonderful in helping me start to get to grips with my very overgrown garden! After no small amount of digging, twenty sandstone slabs, nineteen bags of garden refuse, eight bags of pebbles and some very odd sunburn, David and I are now the proud owners of a little seating area. It’s been raining pretty much non-stop since we put the garden furniture together, so we’ve not really had the chance to sit out yet, but it’ll be lovely to sit out in the evenings through the summer.

Saturday night, the boy and I went to an eighties party, which was huge fun and then on Sunday, Fiona Pine-Marten and I went to meet the beautiful baby Leah. She really is just the most delightful little girl and I hardly wanted to give her back to Fi and Paul. I have almost finished knitting her little baby sweater, but after blocking and pressing it would appear that she won’t be able to wear it for at least four months! (At least it’ll be colder by then…)

Exciting News...

2008-07-27T13:43:00.004+01:00

Very exciting news this week is that last Sunday Fiona and Paul had their baby, a beautiful healthy baby girl called Leah. I'm hoping to see them next weekend, so have started another Debbie Bliss Raglan Sweater in pale blue Sirdar Supersoft Toddler Aran.

It's been quite a busy knitting week for me, and I finally managed to finish something! Elegant Drape, an asymmetrical summer cardigan in dusky pink Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora has been a delight to knit- and now it's a delight to wear. I modelled it last night at Claudia and Simon's fabulous summer barbecue, where it was greatly admired!

I've also created an online photo album for my sister's big walk last weekend.

Other news, is that I have moved departments at work and am now working in the Novelty Department, which means I'll get to work on some fabulous new books- really looking forward to helping with some of our fabulous pop-up books!

Midsummer Madness

2008-07-21T21:49:00.003+01:00

I've had a crazy weekend helping my sister complete a madcap challenge called Trailwalker in aid of the Gurkha Welfare Trust in conjunction with Oxfam GB. She and a team comprised of Liz, Nerys and Gary walked an astonishing 100km of the South Downs Way in 28 hours and 1 minute, to raise over £4000 for the Gurkhas.

The indomitable Daz and I (along with Latifa and Ali) acted as support for the team; proving food, respite and hopefully a bit of cheer as the team bravely struggled on through the day and the night. I managed to stay awake for a staggering 37 hours and even managed to get a bit of knitting done in the support van, casting on the first sleeve of Flicca!

I've also blocked my pink summer cardigan and am hoping to have it all finished by the end of the week. I really would love to wear it before it gets cold!

A Lovely Gift

2008-07-13T17:37:00.006+01:00

One of the lovely designers from work who sadly is leaving the company, was having a clear out of her desk area and found this fabulous set of needles. It's such a shame that she has to leave, so I'm particularly grateful for her incredibly generous gift, especially as I'll remember her everytime I use them. I have spent a happy evening this week cataloguing my needles for my Ravelry page!

An Excellent Week

2008-07-06T14:26:00.008+01:00

I've had such a lovely week this week, starting off with my Race for Life, which took place last Sunday. I raised over £300 and managed the 5k course in just over 33 minutes. The race was pretty emotional, not to mention hot and tiring, but I was pretty proud of my time. Doing something like that gives me such an enormous sense of well-being. Not only am I achieving something for myself, but I'm also doing something, no matter how small, to help others in this world.

Another treat has been the book that I've been reading this week, Excellent Women by Barbara Pym. It's been a long time since I've read a book that I have enjoyed quite so very much. Every page included a treat- an absolute delight to read. Barbara Pym manages to make the ordinary life of a spinster in the late 1940s, really insightful, witty and frankly extraordinary. Every word is to be treasured and I now want to devour her entire backlist!

Yesterday, the boy and I went to Henley Royal Regatta care of Members Day at Henley Management College (where he is studying for his MBA). The sun shone gloriously for our trip along the race course on SS Alaska, the oldest passenger craft on the Thames, and we enjoyed a very gentle cream tea on the lawns of the college.

On the knitting front, Flicca is coming on a pace. Knitting Club at work has started up again, although I was so busy chatting, it took me six rows before I figured out that I was doing the left front, not the right... Oops! This lunchtime, I have been enjoying my regular monthly session of knitting in public at the Big Band Brunch by Centre 17 Big Band at Salisbury Arts Centre.

What I'm Up To...

2008-06-29T17:45:00.003+01:00

Hello again!

2008-06-29T16:53:00.006+01:00

Having finally joined Ravelry (and learned how to add links), I thought that it really was time to put fingers to keyboard and start writing again. My friend Libby is a brilliant blogger and she has something to say pretty much every week. I can't promise I'll be that prolific, but I am going to try and make a bit more of an effort...

Since I last added to Sparkleknits I did manage to finish a few projects. I made a pair of mittens for Piney, a baby jumper for Jen and Neil's gorgeous baby boy, Sam and a second one for the fabulous Oliver Rufus, who was born to Claire and Nigel in March. I have done everything except the blocking, pressing and making up of a pink cardigan for myself.

The main project that I'm working on right now is a Flicca cardigan from Anna Bell's beautiful collection of patterns to buy on My Fashionable Life. It's a slightly unseasonal project, but at the rate I knit, I might actually finish it for when this wonderful weather runs out.

Gorgeous Joe!

2007-11-27T21:02:00.000Z

My dear friends Angie and Robin sent me this lovely picture of their baby son Joe, who was born just over six weeks go. Isn't he just gorgeous? And he's modeling the teal Debbie Bliss baby jumper that I made for him too...

Work in Progress

2007-11-18T14:11:00.000Z

It's been a while since I last posted an entry, but I've not stopped knitting. I've been working my way through the list and have knitted a cell sock for my sister's birthday. Piney's mittens and even a co-ordinated hat from Knitty's Calorimetry pattern, although I have still got to block, press and finish them off. I'm also precisely half way through one pair pf pink socks for my sister. I have so many things that I want to do, but never seem to have the time to finish things off...

I'm also nearly finished with Jenny's baby jumper, I would have finished it ages ago, but I managed to either run out of wool (or not buy enough in the first place)! More wool has fortunately arrived thanks to the wonders of internet shopping. I've got some lovely yarn for Nic and Andrew's baby, and I'll need to buy even more as I've had the wonderful news that Claire and her boy Nigel are also expecting. I'm not buying the wool just yet as their mid-December scan will determine (and I quote Claire here) "the sex of the piglet"!

Promises, promises!

2007-09-30T12:16:00.000+01:00

I had a lovely day out yesterday in Bath with my dear friend Piney, including a luxurious treat of a two hour session at the new Thermae Bath Spa followed by one of the nicest fried veggie breakfasts I've ever had. On the train journey Back to Salibsury, while trying on my newly finished mittens, she reminded me that I had in fact promised her a pair of her own (well over a year ago!). We stopped off at the local yarn store on the walk home and she picked out some blue aran so that I can make a pair for her in time for a Christmas present.

This does however bring to mind that I may have overstretched myself in the number of promises I've made to various people:

Socks for Amanda

Scarf for Andy

Baby Sweater for Jenny and Neil

Mittens for Piney

Another Baby Sweater for Nic and Andrew

Black Beanie (complete with Skull and Crossbones) for Rich

I think I'd better get off this journal and get knitting! (Perhaps I will start with Piney's Mittens!)

Commission!

2007-09-28T09:03:00.000+01:00

How very exciting! I have received my first commission and have been asked by my pod-buddy Andy to create him a scarf. I showed him a few patterns and he's decided on Henry a lovely sideways-knit herringbone scarf that is published in the latest edition of Knitty. He's ordered the yarn and in exchange for the finished article he's going to commission a piece of jewellery from Juliet his housemate, who also works at Walker. I do so love a bit of bartering!

Two Pairs of Socks

2007-09-23T14:40:00.000+01:00

Libby's socks that she started during my sock lesson are certainly coming on a pace. I received this photo in a text and I'm delighted that she's making the pair for little old me. I shall certainly wear them with pride! Mine are getting on a little bit slower, but I'm just about to start turning the heel, so watch this space...

Finished Mittens

2007-09-22T18:03:00.000+01:00

The lovely Mr Christie and I took a trip to Stourhead for a late picnic lunch this afternoon and I took the opportunity to wear both my Tammy mittens and the matching beret out for the first time. The patterns for both came from Rowan Yarns Classic Weekend Book Eight (ISBN 1904485472), which David bought for me as a very thoughtful Christmas present, and are really easily knit up in a beautiful RY Cashsoft Aran on 4 and 4.5 mm needles. Pink and green are my favourite colours so it's lovely to be able to make something that's easy, fun and practical too!

There was a lovely exhibition on at First View Gallery by Fiona Gordon-Abbey that had a large canvas that David and I especially liked, depicting a woodland scene with Kandinsky-like flowers in the foreground. Visiting Stourhead is always a reat treat, like visiting an old friend, and today it was as wonderful as ever. In a couple of weeks as Autumn really sets in the trees will be glorious. We saw a Japanese maple, right next to the Gothic Cottage that was already turning a beautiful, vibrant shade of red.

Mitten Weather

2007-09-19T09:13:00.000+01:00

After a wonderful week off in the Cornish sunshine, I am finding my early morning starts a bit of a cruel cold wake-up so have decided that it's time to finish off the stripey hat and mittens that I started in the spring.

One of the good things about hardly ever wanting to actually finish a project, is that I tend to have a number of things that really only need blocking and sewing up. Watch this space for a photo of the finished articles. (Hopefully this will be very soon as my hands were freezing on my bicycle yesterday morning!)

New Blog, New Project

2007-09-16T16:33:00.000+01:00

I've just got back from an afternoon with Libby in the Cathedral Close of Salisbury, learning how to magic cast on and make toe-up socks using the Widdershins pattern.

The magic cast on is something akin to rocket science, and caused some pretty colourful language, while I dropped and picked up any number of stitches. Luckily the lovely Liblet is an extremely patient teacher, and had bought everything with her for a very helpful lesson. Sitting on her fabulous purple quilt with 'string and pointy sticks' and in beautiful surroundings I tried very hard to be a patient student.

It started to get a bit cold so we moved into a nearby cafe and with a cup of tea and a lot of help my sock soon progressed to looking a little bit more toe-like. (Although there is a very small hole on one side which I shall have to stitch!) She assures me that once I've finished the increase rows it will get much less spider-like and become a bit more fun...