Keeping Busy

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!

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!

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

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

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?

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

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.