I am moving

I know, I've been on here for quite a long time but you can now find me over here

hope you come to say hi
: )

Reasons to be slacking

I haven't really been slacking, I've been caught up in jelly, trying to get things done, changing the hang-on network and just trying to keep on top of things.

Skeinqueen and I have been working on a secret mission, dyeing yarn to sell as kits with patterns - all fine except writing detail and pattern isn't my usual knitting style - but all is done. Patterns are being tested and here is a snippet of some of the test knits.



There are anarchy mittens, johnny rotten mittens, anarchy handwarmers and a few others that are waiting to make it into PDF form. The handwarmer pattern (without yarn) is available to purchase at my etsy shop but if you tell me a funny story in the comments here that makes me smile in my comments I'll send you a free copy

That's made me smile already

To be inspired

I was inspired by the list of things that my friend SkeinQueen has been up to: spinning, dyeing, updating, hanging out in Bentleys and lashing it up with the ladies. She made me feel like a sloth....

So here is my weekend, not as entertaining but maybe it's because I am a wee bit older than her....

1. Wore silly noses for red nose day





We thought we did something funny for money. It was very hard to behave normal.

2. Saturday involved ferrying children to activities but with an added gorgeous walk in the middle of it with Mr Detroit



Met knitty friends up at the canteen and knit and nattered whilst children had their lesson.

3. Resolved myself to the fact that I would have to finish the jumper I started for Christmas ~ why is it that the hubby wants a black boring jumper.... my mum would say it's payback for all the years she had to make me black school jumpers as I refused to wear the other colour choice, an odd red colour.

4. Actually started to properly write up the pattern for the Union Jack gloves and hoping that it makes sense ~ skeinqueen and I will be selling them as kit form with coherent instructions (*cough, cough, that's my job*) and SQ does the anarchic inspired dyeing.



Funny eh, there was me being inspired by anarchy and Johnny Rotten to make these and suddenly I find myself confined to charting and numbers and swatching.... heh ho
: )

Surpises in the post, new ideas and better things

Today is my mum's birthday so a special day and we woke her up this morning just to sing happy birthday to her via Skype before the children went to school. She opened her presents, 3 skeins of caran d'ache I commissioned from the amazing skeinqueen, a heart shaped box and cards from us all. It was a big box so to protect it on it's journey I'd packed in stash wool that I was giving to her anyway but I think that confused my dad. He'd opened the parcel yesterday to check and thought that he had inadvertently opened *the present*, not realising the spare yarn was packing for safety round the heart hand carved box.

Then I too got a surprise in the post - a present for me:



Two skeins of *golden teal* in Elegance - I love teal, I love yellow so this is perfect for me. Skeinqueen gave me these as a thank you for helping her at Unravel - my word, what a treat anyway without being sent yarn.



The smaller parcel contained this, Kelpie in a new yarn base, Squash. I will be knitting this up as a sample for Skeinqueen for her next show - I'm thinking of making the Ishbel beret. I love that word, Kelpie.....

yesterday

Last week was a busy and hard and long one, too many deadlines, too much to achieve but I hit the weekend having done almost all of it and not only that but we had future big decisions to be made right there and then (that's the problem with the future, it suddenly appears).

So the big decisions were made, work stuff dealt with, non work stuff dealt with, housework semi dealt with and then Sunday was a blue sky day and we walked and walked to the lakes with the tree loving children.

The afternoon was spent together, them writing 3 scene plays for their homework, me cracking on with the smocking on the Coraline - a photo will arrive soon, I promise

unravelled

A perfect day - even though it has been a really busy time with so much to do and I was slightly worried about my ability to make sense of my week,, we ended it perfectly with a knitty day at Unravel.

My parents have been with us for 18 days, it was an unexpected visit for a sad reason and then we got even longer together because Pai became ill - it is true that the last three times he has been over to stay we have had either a hospital or emergency doctor visit which may be the norm for some people but in our family my Pai isn't sick so it has been unusual and sometimes feels like we are the bad omen.

Today they went back and already there is a little bit missing in our lives but later with the wonder of technology we will be able to skype them and chat and know that they are home safe and sound - just their touch and kisses will be missing

I have loved them being here, my mum has been knitting away and in her bag is some yarn from me and bamboo needles for her. She made two Ishbels to my one (it's mine in the photo above). What is happening to me? I am making things in purple, the colour I don't like - I had just enough Count Olaf (made by skeinqueen) to almost finish it, just one row and the cast-off row short but I managed to edge in another yarn from her Lemony Snicket series.... perfect

Wrapping things up

It's been a busy time, getting ready for Unravel for a trip out with the outcasts where we will be showing some work and helping people with a project from the wonderful Skein Queen.

Expecting the parents, snow allowing to arrive any day now, Parents evening tonight, auditions today and work to be done, real work that slots in around everything else.

This morning though I sent my parcel to The Turnpike Gallery for the UK D.I.Y exhibition, follow the link to see some other exhibitors. I won't be there for the opening as Love is Awesome is opening here on the same day but I have sent a little treat for the wonderful SallyF, something inspired by her - I can't show you here but it's wrapped in the black tissue with green spotty ribbon.... peek

Grey days, old and new

It's been a grey time, the weather, things that are sad that are happening and I keep being drawn to simple things and old things.

In work I am busy, there are opportunities that need to be seized, papers to write, ideas to put down on paper, works to send to exhibitions, changes to be made.

Some things are getting done and each day I am getting nearer to finishing the project, it's taken a long time and much history to get to this part but when it's done it will be a major milestone. There is very little free time at the moment with all of the above and I squeaked at the idea of entertaining an old friend for an evening, a precious evening free, but when he came bearing a gift and good chat, it all made sense.

images 1: swatching for Coraline. 2: swatching 3: new shawl made from old vintage lavender from skeinqueen and old drawing of me from Ian C Taylor, by Tabitha Hindley