Catching up.

I've been practising with the panorama feature of my new camera.



Yet more time has passed without me getting my blogging act together.It's the busy season at school. We've got to get everyone's testscores collated, process all the data, get the Y6s ready to transfer to their new schools, get all the other children ready to move to their new classes, plan for a new curriculum and don't forget parents'evenings, trips, sports days and summer fetes.

I've been tired too. My anaemia is back, despite all the iron I take, so that's a bit sapping and stressful. I'm looking forward to the end of term and the summer holiday.

Ireceived a lovely package from Lamira in the Ravelry Over 40 group swap. I've been thinking about trying some Kaffe Fassett sock yarn for a while now and Lamira has fulfilled that wish for me.



All the goodies were packed in a lovely round box, which I have filled with stamps and stickers (for marking and rewarding the children at school) and put in my office.It will be a very civilised addition to my desk.

While I'm at it, I'll also include a photo of my International Scarf Exchange package :


Isn't the scarf gorgeous? It's malabrigo, another yarn that was on my wish list. This package came from Brenda in VA.

I've been a bad blogger

It's that Ravelry lark, you see. Every time I have some time to spend at my computer I find myself drifting over there and neglecting my blog. Has this happened to other people too, I wonder?

Anyway, a Bank holiday.

And sunshine...a rare combination in this part of the world. Sure enough, we have gale force winds too, which makes the 15 degrees outside feel much colder than that. This morningJ and I walked around Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park, avoiding the hill as the wind was whistling around our ears badly enough lower down. Since then I have been knitting. More Georgia. Linen Drape is lovely, but splitty. I'm not looking forward to sewing this up. I've also cast on another sock - a simple sock, plain vanilla, stocking stitch sock. Useful for picking up for waiting in the car and at appointments.



We sat on the deck a little, this afternoon, admiring the garden and drinking lattes. Nice to get time to relax.

Colour

Don't you just love Dylon machine dye? This was a pile of white and grey items yesterday. I feel so much better now, although it might be the sunshine too. Garden's loving it.





Several projects on the needles at the moment: Susie Hoodie from More Big Girl Knits, in Donegal Silk Tweed from New Lanark Mill. Unfortunately, I picked a charcoal colour and it's really hard to see to do the cabledesign in the evenings, so progress is pretty slow.

As a bit of light relief I'm still working on an adaptation of Georgia, in linen drape.

Finally Springing

Spring is finally springing here. The temperature rose to 20 degrees today. Combined with all the rain we've had, the garden has really taken off.











No knitting pictures today as I have been working on my Susie Hoodie (sorry, it's a ravelry link) from More Big Girl Knits. I'm doing it in Charcoal Donegal Silk tweed from New Lanark Mills, so it photgraphs badly. It's slow going too as each round has over 300 stitches. Stll, I'll be smiling when I don't have to do endless seeming.



A knitting-related link, though: If you are a on ravelry, have a look at what Krystofer is doing to raise money for Aids research. He's taking part in the 2008 Aids Lifecycle. If you're not on ravelry, you can find his donate page here. He's holding a draw of the people who donate at least $10 towards this. Prizes are amazingly generous. If you have $10 to spare, pop across there now.

Socks

We got a new camera. It's lovely - much more sophisticated than my previous one. Does lots more things, including macros.



Don't these Knitpicks Harmony needles go well with the Bearfoot yarn from Mountain Colors. I started off making Friday Harbor socks from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush. Unfortunately, the yarn just ended up looking a bit lumpy in that pattern, so they are plain K3P1 rib socks with a Friday Harbor cuff.



Speaking of socks: I need to say a big "Thank you!" to my HSKS partner,Yvonne (also known as Emma Gorodok). Yvonne sent the most wonderful sock project bags, filled with goodies. I'm afraid I can't post pictures of everything here now as the little bags are at work, where they will live in my desk, holding stress-relieving and sanity-restoring emergency sock projects.

Warming up

Feels decidedly springy today. I've finished my International Scarf Exchange 6 scarf and after blocking, took it outside to try for a background different to one of my usual sofa shots. Here it is dangling in one of our olive trees:



Some more garden picture:


A miniature flowering cherry.


Each year more and more moss and lichen finds a home on J's pondside Buddha.


The grass is full of tiny aconites and grape hyacinths.

Brrr

A wild and windy couple of days - horizontal snow much of the time and gritters on all the major roads. Why do I remember getting summer clothes and sandals at Easter as a child? Is that one of those trick childhood memories that turns every Summer holiday into a Famous Five book or is the weather really shifting so drastically?

We walked on the beach, dressed like we were walking across Antarctica, and drove up to the Heugh Breakwater, near my new school, to watch the waves in action.





What a person needs, when the weather is like this, is a bright, bright, bright cosy wool sweater:



Terrible picture, but lovely sweater. This is my take on Chinese Lace Pullover by Angela Hahn. My modifications were: longer body (about 3 inches more), merino dk instead of cotton/silk, added some rows of garter stitch around the neck as I felt the neckline was too low when I had finished it, only did 1 repeat of lace around the sleeves so they weren't too fussy.

Back into the light

I feel like this lovely anenome that is flowering in the garden - as though I've been down in the dark, underground, for a while now. It's one of those things that I don't always recognise until I start to come out again. Not a depression, I think, but a head-down, coping-by-putting-one-foot-in-front-of-another period.

Things at work have been very hard for a while - I got the job, we had an inspection and had to weather with the response of some colleagues to the inspection findings, lots of things have been difficult and everyone has been very tired. It's been a long, hard term and I'm glad it's my two week break!

I have responded to the stress of it all by eating chocolate (consequence - weight gain of 4lbs, I was lucky!), sleeping and getting in some knitting - not as much as I would have liked, but it all counts.

I finished my Chinese lace pullover. No pictures yet, but I'll get some done this week.

I have cast on for my International scarf Exchange 6 scarf.

Here it is:



I'm doing a pattern called Forest Shawl or Scarf, which I printed out from t'Interweb. Unfortunately, I didn't bookmark the page or note the creator. It's in James C Brett Merino. The colour is darker than it appears here - more a dark Merlot shade. I love the way this yarn shows the lace pattern and love how soft it is.

I've been making small (and I mean small) woollen hats for Save the Children. They are easy to do and can be finished really quickly - even when my brain is fried and I can't keep my brain focused on anything complicated.



I read, on the Save the Children website, that half of all babies born in Tibet die in their first week - mostly due to hypothermia. What terrible statistics!

Finished objects sighted

Two, to be precise. Just under the wire before I go back to work tomorrow.

The first is a small felted project bag for me to carry socks etc in while they are in progress. I made it from 1 skein of my large stash of Twinkletoes sock yarn. I may try more felted projects from this as it worked out well and I still have lots of the stuff left. I felted it in my washing machine and dried it into shape over a plastic cereal container.



It's lined with a lovely piece of Kaffe Fassett fabric. I love the fabric but am trying to reduce the amount of pattern I have in our house as it easily feels cluttered, so I'll confine it to small things like linings.



Next up is my Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap project bag. I've enjoyed making the bag, which is done in Wendy Fusion and lined with Liberty tana lawn in a knitting print. I haven't had as much time for the other swap activities as I would have liked and I'm worried that I may have annoyed the organisers with my lack of participation in the treasure hunts and quizzes, but I haven't had time.





The bag is off to my swap partner with a skein of hand-dyed Ravenclaw yarn (apologies, I can't remember where I bought this), a set of stitch-markers I made myself and a set of Lantern Moon sock stix. I hope she likes the kit.



*****

Back to work tomorrow. as usual, I don't seem to have got half as much done as I wanted to this week. Never mind. Is it 6 weeks until Easter?

One of the things that has been occupying my thoughts, work-wise, recently has been the fact that the post, to which I have been seconded, has been advertised as a permanent vacancy. It came up shortly after I started my secondment, allowing very little time for me to make an informed decision about whether to apply for it or not. If you have visited here any number of times in the past, you will realise that I don't do change!

Anyway, since I had started to do the job already I decided to apply. The interviews (2 days worth) are in a week, so I've still got some time to work on my ideas and presentation.

A hint of Spring

Well, it's now much warmer than it was at the start of the week and I am quietly optimistic that winter might finally be easing itself out.



We finally got the living room put straight after having new carpets laid; much trauma and heartache invested into finding two matching curtain poles that would fit the two (non-matching) windows in this room without having to buy the hideously expensive largest size and saw great chunks off them. I am finally knitting again.

I have pulled this back about 4 times now, being unhappy with the shapings. I wish I was knitting it from the top down...



It's not pink. It's red.

Global Warming

Our December and January have been mild and uneventful, in terms of weather, and then mid-February winter finally seems to have hit us. This is the second morning of freezing fog. A drive to the beach (we stayed in the car) reminded me so much of Ilona Wellman's images (see above). Yesterday the temperature didn't get above -2 all day and today looks to be the same. It's all relative, I know. Some people have been buried under the winter snows for months now. We watch Ice Road Truckers, so we know all about the cold. Nevertheless, winter is seldom a problem for us, so we take it personally when it does visit.

J has been taking it extremely personally. Every morning he hares outside to see what damage has been wrought on his tender plants. Most of them are wrapped up and huddled together on the perspex-covered deck for the winter, but he's been rushing about with armfuls of straw all over the place.

I'm on holiday this week - half term break. Very welcome it is too. I've been avoiding posting about the new job, just in case anyone who might know me finds this blog. It's unlikely, I know, but better safe than struck off :)
It's a challenge. Bits of it are extremely tough and we have a lot of work to do. It has been consuming most of my time and energy - hence the thin-ness of the blogging recently.
This week we are renovating the living room a bit. J has finally caved in under the pressure of my gentle, but regular remarking and concedes that our 15 year old carpet may merit replacing.
The problem is, you see, that it is a really, really good carpet and was really, really expensive and has lasted really, really well. It is also really, really heavily patterned and really, really dated. If you are of a nervous disposition, turn away now.



The upshot is that it is going to have a second life on top of a compost heap or something and we're getting a plain carpet. You wouldn't believe how many shades of beigey-brown there are out there! We can't have white or cream because our family is not good at avoiding spills, drips and coming in from the garden without taking our shoes off...



I have got some knitting in. Work continues on the Chinese Lace Pullover. Red is hard to photograph with a flash. I tried this morning and got a red blob. I'll try again in natural daylight if we ever get any today.

A flying visit

Oh boy. Long time no post. So much to do lately. Nevermind - a whole week's holiday now so I will catch up.

In the meantime here's the answer to the Hufflepuff quiz:

"Then you should have died!" roared Black. "Died rather than betray your friends, as we would have done for you!"

Quidditch quiz

1. What was Harry dreaming about the first time he woke up with his scar on fire?
b. Voldemort and Wormtail plotting to kill him

2. What is the problem with leprechaun gold?
a. It vanishes after a few hours

3. Why did Mad-Eye Moody turn Malfoy into a ferret
c. Malfoy attacked Harry when Harry's back was turned

4. Sirius warns Harry to be careful around Karkaroff because he had been a Death Eater. Which one of the professors at Hogwarts, who also used to be a Death Eater, is frequently bothered by Karkaroff?
Snape

5. Voldemort could have used the blood from any foe to make the potion that revived him work, but he held out for Harry's blood. Why?
c. The special protection Harry received from his mother would also pass to Voldemort

6. How old would Frank have been on his next birthday?
d. 77

7. Amos Diggory works for?
b. The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures

8. Who shared a carriage with the three friends on the way from the train to Hogwarts? Answer: (One Word)
Neville

9. What date in October did the delegates from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang arrive?
a. 30th

10. What color were Percy's dress robes at the Yule Ball?
a. Navy Blue

Mr. Ollivander


Mad-Eye Moody


Cedric


World Cup Tournament


Dark Mark

Aaarghh!

Oh my! Charlotte's Web is causing me some real problems! I keep ending up out on my row count. I must be missing some yo's or something. I've frogged it THREE times now and I'm tempted to just give up. Is this the revenge of the penance sweater? Am I not supposed to be working on anything else?

I sought refuge among my stash. I was ruthless today, jettisoning all the odd balls of baby wool and dodgy acrylics and oddments I'd been keeping 'just in case'. They are now in two sacks to go to the charity shop and recycling centre. I feel so clean :)

HSKS Hufflepuff Quiz

1. What does Mrs. Weasley do when she is angry? She can be rather overbearing and tends to explode!
2. Who picks up Harry for his visit to the Burrow? Ron Fred, George and Mr. Weasley

3. What did Moody give Neville? A book on herbology which mentions gillyweed
4. When is Hermione’s Birthday? 19th September

5. Who does Snape have pickling rats brains for detention? Harry and Ron
6. Are Dobby and Winky at Hogwarts at the beginning of term? No they arrive after the start
7. Where do Harry, Ron and Hermione pick up sock for Dobby? In Hogsmeade at Gladrags Wizardwear.
8. Who helps Harry figure out the egg? Moaning Myrtle and Cedric

9. Where does Harry have his first meeting with Sirius? In the hearth in Gryffindor Tower's Common room

10. Who interrupts the above mentioned meeting with Sirius? Ron

I ♥ the weekend

Well, what a successful day!
I have completed a number of minor repairs around the house that were causing ongoing domestic irritation. Small stuff, but very satisfying.

In celebration I baked a dozen cupcakes, then j got up and ate most of them...



As an antidote to the penance sweater (see below), I have cast on Charlotte's Web. I've started off with the skein of Claudia's Hand Painted Fingering I had left over when I decided to make the Chevron Scarf shorter. I plan to choose the next yarn from my (larger than I expected) stash of sock-weight yarns.





This will be my first shawl. I'm not sure I'm really a shawl person, but they always look so nice on other people and I know I'm definitely a scarf person and it doesn't seem a million miles from one to the other, so we'll see...

On the Hogwart's front:

I have sent for the yarn for my Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap partner. She's in Ravenclaw and there are some lovely colourways out there. I'm still trying to decide which bag pattern to use, but I'm leaning towards a sock project-sized bag, maybe with a drawstring and some charms...not sure yet.

My dragon ate my homework

Ooops!





This week's assignment was to post this link here. Wonder if Miss Wartwobble will believe that my dragon ate my homework...

Rediscovering Filey

No, not the seaside town on the Yorkshire coast. I've never actually been there, believe it or not (for all of you who are familiar with the area), although I have been to Flamborough Head.

This Filey is a sweater I started for J over 2 years ago. We bought the pattern and yarn from Bobbins in Whitby. I cast it on and then abandoned it after and inch and a half. While I was confronting the magnitude of my stash, recently, I rediscovered it. It seems like the right thing to do now is to pick it back up and finish it. Maybe that should really read start it.



Trouble is, it's a horrible experience: I hate the way the yarn makes my fingers sore; I hate the way the yarn makes my fingers blue; I hate the way my eyes struggle to see the stitches in anything other than bright daylight; I hate the fact that it will take so long to knit, particularly given J's height and the fact that it has to be knitted a third longer than the required finished length to allow for shrinkage.

I feel like I'm doing penance for something.

After I had given up hope

and decided that the Christmas Post Monster had eaten my package, this arrived from Canada:





It's my Coffee Swap package from Natalie in Ontario and it smells gorgeous. Mmmm...dark-roast coffee...

The gorgeous yarn is Sea Wool from Fleece Artist.

Thank you Natalie!

Comfort Inn Kensington

Don't Ever Stay There!

Been in London again for a couple of days at the Bett Show. It's an enormous technology in education show/conference. It's exhausting and when you get finished for the day you don't want to stay in a hotel that has:

tiny, shabby rooms

cramped, dirty en suite bathrooms

disaffected, uncaring staff who speak inadequate English (- probably on minimum wage, but employers should learn that they get what they pay for!)

smelly corridors

inadequate and noisy room heating

dangerously overloaded electric socket adapters

The spoils of conference...