Randomness

The five o'clock train from Birmingham is busy - full of giggling teenagers coming back from shopping in Primark - I think the drunks from the week before were better company !!

You are more likely to get Dysentery in the late Spring and early Summer (most random fact from this week's study) It is going very slowly, but thanks for asking.
I will have two weeks of solid study when I get back from Exeter Show on Sunday night. It least if I read the books near the exam I should be able to remember more random facts....

Raverly activity is only for short amount, photos will be added when I have more time..

And the place to be seen in November is here, I will be in the Knitting and Crochet Guild stand with my fellow enabler

If you are going to Creative Stitches at Exeter do come and say hello - I'll be on the Picknit stand, knitting things for Shaun.
On Saturday we will have a expert finger knitter on the stand, if last year was anything to go by, it promises to be an entertaining day !!

Until then happy knitting, I'll be back next week, and there should be photos of the fun !

Big Little Jumper

A bad photo, but hopefully you can sort of see Peter's jumper.
I think I got carried away with the sizing, Mum says that it should fit him for two Winters !!

From a Debbie Bliss baby book that is under the cat at the moment (!!) made in James Brett Merino, lovely to knit with...






And the journey home on Saturday was one of the silliest I've ever had, total strangers giggling all the way home .. this might loose something in the telling but I'll try..

The train to Hereford was waiting at the platform for us, this caused confusion so it took a while for people to get aboard. I got on and sat at a empty table, two male Poles sat at the table the other side of the aisle. They were confused as to whether the train was going to Hereford (as most people who got on were..)

Within minutes of sitting down opposite each other, they were lying across the two seats fast asleep. The train filled up to standing room only. The guard tried to wake them up and get them to sit up so people could use the other seats.. one had to be shaken by his mate to sit up...
One thought he was at Hereford and tried to get off, other told him to sit down (or something like that )

A very brave girl sat down (other seat stayed empty for the whole journey home)
By this stage there were three females and a suitcase at my table. The four of us were discussing how funny it would be to wake them up at each stop and tell them it was Hereford and see if they got off, but we just let them sleep.

After about half an hour the brave girl got up - not impressed with Poles head falling on her shoulder (he still stayed fast asleep)

There was a change of people at my table - two teenagers sat down and took photos of the drunks. Two younger girls got on later and were also taking photos (even with the flash they didn't wake)

By Worcester one had slid off his seat and had his legs wrapped round a bag on the floor..
By the time I got off he was lying under the table still fast asleep...

They were completely unaware of anything around them.. I've never seen people asleep in such strange positions before, their heads were wobbling all over the place and as for the one that ended up under the table, you really had to be there..

And the unanswered question of the evening, what was with the cushion in the bag ?

I'm going to Birmingham again this week, will they be on the train again, or will it be a boring journey ? Time will tell.....

Saturday's entertainment

It is not often I'm awake for sunrise !!

And there was mist on the water...

I managed to get up in good time for the train, and headed off for the delights of the NEC..






There was a surprise guest - who was not meant to be there, so arrived in his own suitcase..










Made by Jan - here is Shawn the Sheep ready for the start of his picnic tour !!

He even has his own knitting

And there was a picnic but I missed that....










And what did I buy - some books...

The top down one has lots of useful patterns that will have to be tried eventually..












And a couple of patterns....









And most of the yarn I got was James Brett Marble to make some more mathematical squares.

Currently pink and lilac on the needles, all will be revealed soon...







And I got my invite to Revelry just before I left yesterday morning... so I had to wait until I got home to join...
And before I had a chance to add a profile Polly found me as friend, so if you haven't guessed I'm Wyesue...

And I've just realised this is my 250 post...

Strange knitting

If anyone was waiting for a parcel from me then it is on the way !! (And that includes Peter)

Thank goodness there was no one else in the post office - six packages later it was still empty..

Now I just have to sort out the emails I owe and then I should have finished playing catch up.

This is not my Rowan Exchange present.

I would have been happy if it was, but it is a thanks for waiting parcel...

The socks that rock is on the needles already..

Scarf is from the latest Simply Shetland book (I was a lucky girl and got it for my birthday)

And this is the back of some strange knitting...

I always said that I would and here are the first of my knitting underwear for display at Harrogate show...

It has caused a lot of amusement, people ask me what I'm knitting and then discuss - there was someone in a sausage queue last weekend who said she would wear them if they were available..

I'm off to the NEC tomorrow (if I can wake up in time, tablets are making me very dozy) and I will be knitting 'smalls' on the train, that is unless Plisse wants to come on a journey (nice brother, doesn't have to buy me anything for Christmas now...)

And I got called sensible today - I was buying a 70's knitting and crochet book in a charity shop and some cards with snowmen jumped into my hands - I thought my shopping was far from sensible (there was also something with sheep on it...)

And the winner is...

These were my favourite sausages of Saturday.

Pork, spring onion and chocolate ... Oh yes, the chocolate gave them a sweetness.

I didn't realise that we got to have whole sausages in the tastings, so in less than two hours I had six of them...



They cooked sausages around the town, and there were queues at each place...

This is the last one in the market square.

By the time I'd finished the sausage challenge I was being to hate the queues, so the queue for the food festival was too much and I went and found these...





Here - I also managed to teach some finger knitting, see yarn, got fingers...

And finger knitting can also be used as a skipping rope !!











And I thought I would share one of my presents...

A labour of love, very apt.










And dont you wish you had a brother who sent you cards like this !!!



And I have just managed to count all my circular needles and I have 55, in 14 different sizes. The most popular size is 3.25mm (which is one of the sizes I use the least !)
There are only two size & length combinations that I have 3 of 60cm 3.25 mm and 3.5mm 100cm (for shawls).

So the winner is Amber with a guess of 53 so close !!

And I think Serenknitity deserves a prize for thinking I had just 12 circular needles.

So if you both want to email me with your address something will be put in the post to you soon..
(mad DOT knitter AT virgin DOT net)

I went to the hospital about my ear yesterday - mistake I made was in seeing someone with hayfever - all he would say is that my hearing was perfect, my ears the best he had seen for ages and that it was nothing to do with him (doctor this morning was not impressed - he looked and saw that I'd had recurring infections...) So the thought now is that I have had ear problems but those have cleared up and the pain might be to do with grinding of teeth, so I'm going to try tablets to help me sleep. I've been warned that I might be dozy in the mornings - no change there then !!

Happy Birthday

To Susoolu, the first Severn crossing and me !!

I'm off to eat sausages in Ludow....

I'll be back later and there maybe photos !

Mathematical Knitting

I have the job of trying to organise the KCG stand at Harrogate show.
One of the remits of the guild is education.

So Mathematical knitting from Woollythoughts fits the bill...

Curve of pursuit





And Best of both Whirls.

Made from James Brett Marble.
The plan is to try and make 9 squares and make a large wall hanging.

Now I just have to find some more marble ...




And this is my least favourite boy this week.
Dont be fooled by his cute look...

After being away for two nights I heard something being chased in the night - how can I explain to him that bats are protected and not meant to be caught ?



I managed to get that one out of the house alive.

Then yesterday I found another one dead on my bedroom curtains, and a rodent stinking under my bed...

Apparently there have been several bat watches at church recently and they haven't seen any - perhaps I should send the boy up there so he can show them where he finds them !

What I saw last weekend...

If you dont want to see steam trains, strange characters, and scenic pictures move away now..

These two were hiding in the plants for sale at
LLanfair Caereinion station...

They looked a bit strange but nothing like some of the other people about...





This was the train that took me to Welshpool. The journey took about an hour.
I managed to talk to a train widow for some of the journey, discussed knitting with her and on my return to Colinette was told that she visited and bought something !!



A goods train, that was parked up at some point on the return journey.

At the three stations along the line people were swapping trains, some trying to go on all combinations of train & carriages ....

I nearly had a aged man wearing very short leather shorts sit next to me but the needles scared him off...




And a train having a drink....

There was a real ale stall at the station (sorry no cider Rosie) I didn't have any, recovering from pear wine from the night before...












A loud organ that could be heard from a long way away...

There were also lots of men dressed in blue outfits - and I didn't mean to include such a view !!





At the Shrewsbury Steam show the week before this was having a race with a friend...

And lots of men with cameras....

They hung out of windows, waited in fields and stood on embankments, made notes of numbers...



And on Sunday we went to the Welsh Food Festival

It was set in Glansevern Hall Gardens.

These two were fighting in the gardens...





These were pecking in the posh gardens...

There was cider (note for Rosie) there and Gareth did sample some of it...

There were lots of other free samples to be had...





Walking round the lake we noticed this tree...

Think it was lucky to still be standing, an impressive lightening scar down one side ...















And on the Second of September you dont expect the trees to be turning....


This one was just beginning to go lovely orange red colours...








We left before the Welsh dancers performed...













And there was a weather woman ...

I'm so impressed that I managed to get her head in this photo, (if you look hard enough she is there...) It was a lot of a random shot !!
(click for bigger - she is there honest ...)

And the next post will include some knitting...

If you are still reading this and haven't guessed the number of circular needles I have there is still time... think the best answer so far is from Mary-Lou 'not enough' .. I still dont know the answer, need to do some sorting out upstairs and find the ones missing in action or should that be resting !!!

And I would like to thank the local farmer for choosing a nice warm day with a slight breeze to spread chicken muck on the nearest field to my house... and I bet you can all guess which direction the wind is coming from.... and there is no rain due for ages (a bit of a shock there...)