Beware where conversations can lead....

It all started with me needing to go to Worcester...

Do you want to meet for lunch ?

I'm on holiday, said Spinny

Do you want to go on an adventure ?

Yep, ok then....

And where did we end up ... well we went south and a bit of east ... and it wasn't hailing this time so I could get a picture of the full sign....


We had a little look round the shop and then went to lunch....

There is a 'gurt lush' (in local speak) cafe just down the hill.

Spicy chicken baguettes and amazing coffee...






And then the girls went shopping, the other Sue was very good and didn't buy any yarn (apart from a ball of sock which she gave to her Mum).

I ended up with some sock as well, I did take out all the other balls someone put into my basket, but this one wanted to come home with me...

I seem to have a pattern developing, two cones of discount yarn and the same book that Sue bought... Modern Classics by Lousia Harding.

Last time I got two cones and the same book Diane bought...

And I've decided I'm not going to go anywhere near Bristol for a while.....

And I admit I'm addicted to lace, I've already cast on Tina shawl

Drum roll please........

Angela Wrap by Sharon Miller.

Cherry Tree Hill Merino Lace colour Java.

Cast on either 7 or 8 January 2007

Knitting completed 27 January 2007

That's less then three weeks on the needles !!








I had a slight false finish on the grafting, I grafted and then realised that I should have done one row less plain knitting for it to balance at both ends.

So I ungrafted, unknitted and then re-grafted

This is one of the ends.



I did the centre pannel shorter than the suggested 15 repeats, so my version has 10 points and is the right length for Shorty Sue ;-)







I had a little helper while I was blocking, he was such a good boy didn't try and lie on damp wool.....

Saturday Sky

One from this afternoon...


I dont know where the plane came from, I'm nowhere near any airport....







And more planes just as the sun was setting and a neighbour was having a very dirty bonfire....

Things to make you go Ahhh.....

We haven't got snow but lots of snowdrops.

They always remind me of my Mum and Grandmother. Gran took some to the hospital when Mum was nearing her end....
It's only in the last few years I've stopped feeling really sad when I see them...




And these were in the churchyard.

Happy smiling primroses, very early.....






And a blurred-ish photo of the new lace pattern on Angela wrap.

I'm really enjoying this, and if I continue knitting at the same rate I should finish it at the weekend and then it will ahve only been on the needles for three weeks.... And I haven't just been knitting all day every day, some days not a stitch has been done...



And do you remember the baby elephant blanket. Well it's owner is being christened in May so I've decided to make her a posh shawl....

From the Woollyworkshop, Fiddlesticks Tina Shawl and some white Zephyr Wool - Silk.

Yarn feels lovely and as though it will be a dream to knit.

Think it will have to be the next on the needles...



And now I really must go and do some study, assignment due in on 31st and not a question has been answered yet...

I must get my time & motion problems sorted out

Stash additions

First some books I got in the week...

If anyone has seen the vogue shawl one they will be able to guess which I'm going to make first ... and it wont be for me but my 80 year old neighbour...




Here is what the good girl got yesterday.

Three sock and 2 lace - sorry cant remember what there was....

The Painter's Palette book (there were two copies in the shop, after we had looked they were in our bags...)

The latest Sublime book and a Magic loop booklet.




And here is my haul...
I could have been very bad but I dont think I was.....

Cascade 220 to make this





Two cone of cotton like yarn.


960g each and at a grand cost of £15 each they had to come home with me.....

They will probably end up as shawls...





Another bargain of the day, the green wool was £10

And the last signed copy of Painter's Palette - think I know what some of my 4ply might become.... and no it wont be the trousers !!!




And I bought a few potatoes today.
Now these aren't all for me, they are to be split between 5 familes....

Smile - because I had to, and it tastes good...

Kerrs Pink - a good all rounder

International Kidney - salad, which can be left for a main crop.

Innovator - long oval slightly floury good cropper.

It was very difficult to choose from about 100 varieties...


And now I'm going back to my wrap, just about to finish the 5th point on the second side, only three more and then I get a different pattern to remember, not bad as it hs only been on the needles 2 weeks and I've all sorts of distractions since I cast on....

Pictures speak louder than words...

At just after 10 am, in a hail storm, and I wasn't going to get soaked to get the whole sign in...

The new Get Knitted shop in Bristol....


There were lots of people there but the shop didn't seem over full... nice wide isles... lots of wool...


And I will show what was bought tomorrow...

Diane was very good, and even refused a cone of yarn from Polly !!

Saturday Sky

Knitting Fairy

I think there must be a knitting fairy in my house.

I started this last Sunday and so far have completed one end and started to cast on the second, not bad as I have been in other people's houses for a lot of the time...

It's Angela's wrap from Sharron Miller, I'm going to do the fancy centre panel and graft the two ends together.

On Saturday I'm off on an adventure. I'm going to the opening of Get Knitted shop in Bristol. The plan is to get there for when they open at 10am.

I'll be with a very excitable Diane, who works here, if you see her with any yarn (other than sock or lace) please will you tell her to put it back on the shelves. I on the other hand am not on a stash-a-long so I can rehome what I like :-)

And then on Sunday I'm off to buy potatoes....

Nothing bad has happened for a few days.....

Sorry about all the thought provoking posts.....

And please dont get me started on will writing and keeping them updated....

I'm hoping that I will be able to catch up blog reading, commenting and emails soon.....

Please be kind to your family - part 2.

After spending two full days with my neighbours I think every family should hold discussions on what they would like to happen when they die. It does not matter if you are young or old they need to know... after all you could get run over by a bus (where does that phrase come from, how many people are run over by buses?) or you could have a faulty gas heater, or suffer some other way....

This is not a morbid thing but practical and helpful to those that are left.

If you have a favourite outfit please dont loose the shirt and tie causing panic for your relatives who have to contact every friend you ever stayed with to see if they have it.....

If you have a favourite piece of music let them know (only if it is suitable to be played in church , the vicar might not like to play 'You Sexy Thing' by Hot Chocolate (from the Full Monty) as they bring you into church...)

If you like certain hymns tell someone, same goes for readings..... Please dont give your relatives the added hassle while they have disagreements over what should be in the service.. they will have enough to think of at the time....

Suggest where you would like donations to go to...

Do you want lots of flowers... A burial or cremation....

Who do you want to have your possessions.....

It all helps your family when the time comes.

Undertakers know their job but they do need help with the details.

And please arrange to have things that you think the vicar might need ready, such as a brief life history - if you start one now it can be added to at a later date. Vicars are busy people they dont want to sit for hours trying to get the information out of grieving relatives....

For those that are left there is help available. You can call on others to help with the arrangements, there are leaflets telling you who you need to tell and what paperwork needs to be done. And then there is your mad neighbour who has experience in arranging funerals and can offer practical help....

And if at all possible arrange your own funeral. This is one of the best things you can ever do for your family and they will be very grateful.....



And I'm not going to say what else has happened to me this week.......

This time last year I stopped answering the phone for a few days and history is repeating its self. I've decided I'm going to go away for the middle two weeks of January next year and see what I have to cope with on my return !!

And now I really must go and write an ou assignment and see if I can finish my shawl for next Friday.....

Saturday Sky

The sky above Tesco in Hereford this morning.

And guess what, yes it started raining not long after I took it.....

River level is down about two foot on yesterday.

Switching

Or should that be twitching ?

After trying to post for hours last night when blogger was down and then managing to write a post, and I thought publish it, I decided to switch to the new blogger this morning. And the stuck post appeared - all very strange.

I'll see how it goes but I think I might be having a moving expereince soon....

When the going gets tough...

... the tough get knitting !!!



Wristwarmers from the latest Simply Knitting mag, made from one ball of Possum.

They have now been sewn up as well (it's amazing what you can do while blogger is out..)


And another recent cast on is Angela's wrap by Sharon Miller.

Using Cherry Tree Hill, lace weight colour Java.

Only started it a few days ago and the centre is growing well - think I will be going for the complicated version....




And the latest addition to the sheeps...

Not a great photo the light was against us (it's raining again...)

The ladies in the shop adjusted her jumper before putting her in a bag - think I might have to knit her a different jumper that covers her tail, I cant have her catching a cold can I ???

Just when I thought....

I was going to start the year on a positive note, no bad news expected, nothing could stop my good intentions to sort myself out - declutter the house, get ahead in my course work for OU, loose my unwanted weight (again) and generally be in a positive frame of mind....

That all changed yesterday afternoon.

One of my neighbours was found dead. They are not sure what happened, the police are involved, he was in his early twenties, and the whole family are inconsolable.

And there is nothing I can do to make it better, no words that I can say.

This is the first un-natural death I have come across and I dont like it.

They know I am here for them and I do hope that they will call on me in the days and weeks ahead.


And now back to the post I was going to do today.....




An aran jumper for me !!

In Jamieson's Shetland Heather, colour pine.

Pattern is the Bed & Breakfast Pullover from Interweave Winter 2003.


And it wont be long or wide enough for me to put my knees in it - If I get that cold I can make a throw/rug/blanket....






And I started something else - this was going to be an Christmas present for my brother but the yarn was late arriving so he might get it for his birthday or I might save it for next Christmas (does that sound too organised ?)

It doesn't look like much from this angle






But looking at it a different way - it changes from stripes into a piano ...

From Magknits
Knitted in Casscade 220 - lovely to knit with ...

Think I spent too long knitting with acrylic at the end of last year....


And I'm off to drink coffee and see if I can finish some knitting and sorting of paperwork, think I need to keep busy.....

Saturday Sky

For most of the day it has looked like this..... a boring grey

On the right is the River at Ross, the grey in the middle is part of a field. I do feel like I'm repeating myself but it has been raining lots...


And then just as I was beginning to give up hope of anything interesting in the sky line look what happened !!!

The bright thing, I think, is what they call the sun...


And there was more than enough blue to make a pair of sailor's trousers.

But I think that they have all gone to sea, because it has turned grey again...

The bright thing has now gone, I hope it comes back again soon !


And tomorrow I promise a fibre filled post....

And the thing that was missing from the photo in the previous post was a telephone - all rooms should have come with one - our's just had the space for it....

Please be kind to your family...

If you do make a Will please dont hide it at the bottom of a pile of boxes to be found twelve months too late.

And if you have any special requests for funeral service dont hide the details at the bottom of a drawer to be found 6 months after you die....

If you do have the urge to cut the leg off a pair of trousers dont put the legless article back in your wardrobe, (but it did help us finish clearing out the bedroom...)

Similarly if you have a huge (and a really do mean huge) hole in a jumper please throw it away...

There is also no need to keep all the clothes from when your children were younger, or all the artwork your children and grandchildren have done...

If you get letters you want to keep one in every book you own is not the answer, nor are drawers in workshops the right place to store them....



We had a productive clearing out session, but we need to do at least two more days inside the house and probably twice as much going through the sheds and workshops outside.

Luckily it was warmish and not too wet - it is very strange being back at home and being able to flush the loo and wash hands afterwards, we had to resort to a bucket of water and baby wipes.


The house was not stay-in-able so we stopped at a local hotel...

Can you guess what is missing from this table ?

(you may need to click and make it bigger..)







While I was away some other friends were staying at my house looking after the cats. When I got back Fi had knitted a crab and seahorse from Dream Toys by Claire Garland, her first knitting in years (sorry I forgot to take a picture of them...) but I did send her away with some needles (knitting & sewing) wool and some stuffing.... I do love it when I can amuse people with acrylic... (and manage to reduce the amount I have in the house...)

And now I'm off to knit an aran for me in pure wool - Heaven !!!