one good apple

I’m being incredibly slack with posting at the moment due to the back to work rush and with it the huge pile of marking that ends on up on my desk every day.  I don’t know where it all comes from but I’m seriously considering buying a rubber stamp with a tick on it in order to prevent repetitive arm strain!  Still, we’re half way through the term already so it’s not all bad news…

My socks using the yarn my secret pal gifted me are well under way, I’m going to take some photos of them this week.  The yarn is totally gorgeous, much nicer than anything I’d usually buy for myself.  It’s funny how buying for someone else gives you the incentive to splash out - my secret pal sendee will soon be receiving some yarn it was very hard to part with!  I also spent age last week making a double duvet cover and pillow cases for our bed only to find when I went to put the duvet cover on that it was about a foot and a half too short.  Humph.  In my excitement I only measured the width of the duvet, not the length which is quite obviously going to be longer.  There were some anguished cries coming from the bedroom when I found out, Donald ran for in his cage and John sat quietly watching the telly trying to figure out what he done…  I suppose eBay came to my rescue as I’ve decided that I’m going to just buy some wadding, sew that it and have it as a coverlet on top of the duvet.  We’ll need it anyway as it starts to get colder - our bed is under the window and it lets in a healthy breeze on an alarmingly regular basis.  I’ve also been teaching myself German after falling in love with Germany on holiday.  I’m making slow but steady progress and hopefully next time I go I’ll be able to say something useful to the locals.

We went out for a walk around Liverpool today whilst the rain held off.  It’s funny how you go to all these places and take lots of photos but you never look on your own doorstep.  We walked down by the India Building and the business area of the city before walking across to the docks to have a look in the Tate.  Rodin’s The Kiss is in there at the moment so we had a look at that, had some lunch and reminisced briefly about our second date there when we found ourselves watching incredibly frank Tracy Emin film whilst simultaneously cringing with embarrassment.  Will upload some pics and post them tomorrow.

I’ve had lots of little things on the go lately, my attention span is depressingly small and I’m not really sure why.  I’m knitting a top down short sleeved top which will eventually be a christmas present.  I’m using up some yarn I had left over from the cardigan I made recently and I’m thinking of some kind of cherry pattern for the bottom band, if anyone knows of any charts or patterns for this I would be grateful!

I’m also plodding along with the Knitty Thermal.  I’m think I’ve messed up the blanket stitch a little but I’m going with it for now, the thought of pulling it all out is too much to bear!

John is off work this week so we’ve had couple of days out.  We were planning on going away but rabbit face has been poorly and I couldn’t bear to leave him in his rabbit hotel not knowing he’s in tip top condition.  We took the inlaw’s dog Toby to Delamere forest yesterday which was lovely, the sun stayed out and I slept like a log from all that fresh air

We’re going to Crosby beach today to see the Gormley men.  The last time we went the camera packed in at the last minute, the tide came in quickly and we ended up going home cold and grumpy.  Hopefully it will end up better this time.

She arrived at last!  My new niece Ella was born in the very early hours of Thursday morning weighing a whopping 9lb 13oz.

I finished her doll at the last minute ready to give to her yesterday evening when we went to visit.

I’ve got more pictures of her on flickr if you want to have a look.  I’ve also got lots of little things on the go at the mooment including Thermal from Knitty which is slow work but looks really good.  One thing that I have finished is this string bag that I crochet using three balls of string from the 99p shop.  Ijust cobbled together the pattern, started off with sc rounds until I think it was about 48 chains in the round.  Then I worked upwards using triple crochet (i think that’s what it’s called…!) until the bag was big enough.  I then worked a round that incorporated the straps and one final sc round to fix the straps in place.  I now feel like I’m doing my bit for the environment, cue warm feeling inside…

I got my drop spindle last week and have been attempting to do some spinning to varying degrees of success.  I’ll post some pictures of that too when I get round to doing them.

I got my SP11 info today so I now know who I’m going ot be sending lots of goodies to.  It’s great to be able to legitimately buy lotsof yummy stuff without feeling guilt!  It’s also really nice to spend a stupid amount of time looking at other blogs and seeing what everyone else is up to.  Right, I’m off shopping!

Time to answer the questionaire for Secret Pal 11!

1. I will knit with absolutely anything although at the moment I’m on the lookout for animal fibre yarns so I can dye, dye, dye!  I have no banned list if fibres to knit with, pretty much up for everything apart from that fun fur stuff and anything with bobbles and stuff…

2. I store my needles and hooks in a big white milk jug on the sideboard - tres chic!

3. My ma taught me to knit when I was a kid but I’ve just picked it up again in the last three years.  I suppose I’m an intermediate knitter but I’ll try anything once and I’m not afraid to tackle something I haven’t done before.

4. My wish list is in my head, not much use there though… 

5. My favourite scent?  I don’t wear perfume or anything but I love the smell of freshly cut grass, bacon sizzling, bread baking… now I’m hungry.

6. I have about five sweet teeth and I’m particuarly partial to cola bottles, anything by haribo and flying saucers.  Think 1980s penny mixes and you’d be about right!

7. Other than crochet and knitting I’ve just started embroidery.  Another skill my mum gave me was sewing, machine and hand.  I’m beginning to spin using a drop spindle and am unfeasibly excited about doing so.

8.  I have pretty eclectic music tastes although top of the list would have to be Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, The Velvet Underground, Gram Parsons, stuff like that.  I have an ipod and my computer plays cds and mp3s although it takes ages to load up sometimes.

9. I’m into bright purple at the moment, I like yellows, blues, primaries really.  I’m not into the whole muted khaki colours at all - natural just isn’t me!

10. I live with my boyfriend of five years and our house rabbit Donald O’Dowd.  He’s shedding at the moment and I’m collecting his hair to spin and knit him a neckerchief (Donald that is, not the other half.  That would just be weird.

11. Hats, scarves, mittens - yes, ponchos - no.

12. I like knitting stuff for me!  It depends what mood I’m in really, I like the long term things like jumpers, cardigans and stuff but sometimes I need a quick fix and like to make gloves, bags and stuff like that.  I have also just got into socks.  I like socks.

13. Right now I’m knitting a funnel neck jumper using chunky dark grey yarn.  It’s going to be quite fitted to contrast the bulky yarn with a little bow on the back.  I’m also crocheting a shopping bag from four balls of string I got in the 99p shop.  And socks.

14. I love handmade gifts - the more unique the better.

15. I’m pretty flexible when it somes to needles, round or circular are both good.  I’ve never knit with bamboo before, would love to try it though.

16. Nope, no yarn wider or swift.  They look very cool though.

17. My oldest UFO is a throw that I started at Christmas.  The main bit is done but I’m doing this fancy edging that’s quite lace and needs a lot of turning and is rather boring to knit but requires a lot of concentration so…

18. My favourite holiday Christmas - the original and the best.

19. I don’t collect anything, in my experience collections mean extra dusting.  When I was a kid I used to collect thimbles and my sister collected spoons.  My ma just sold some of those thimbles on ebay, nothing’s sacred…

20. The lastest Rowan magazine looks fun and Twinkles Big City Knits is also rather tempting.  Sock yarn is also a big thing with me at the moment, anything in animal fibres.  Also ‘A Dyers Garden’ by Rita Buchanan and ‘Spin It - Making Yarn From Scratch’ by Lee Raven. 

21. Other than spinning and dyeing yarn, I’m interesting in the sock making thing and have been looking a little at lace knitting lately.  I’ve been looking a lot at making your own patterns as well, things like adding darts to knitting, if that makes sense…

22.   I’m a new sock knitter as I’ve said.  my foot is 9 1/2″ long, I’m a UK size 6.

23. My birthday is March 11th and sadly next year is on a Monday - urgh.

24. I’m in the queue for Ravelry and there’s about 20,000 people before me.  I’m tapping my foot and looking at my watch…

 Well, I’m all talked out now, I’m going to have some lunch and finish my shopping bag…

Berlin was AMAZING!  I didn’t want to come home.  I wish i hadn’t come home.  I have convinced John that a move to Germany is in our best interests.  I am enrolling us on German lessons.  We are going to Berlin.  How could you not love a country where a mustache is an art form?  And don’t get me started about how cheap the beer is and how nice the toilets are and how polite everyone was.   I’m going to try to upload some pics onto flickr today, I’ve been boring everyone with my holidays snaps and now it’s your turn!

Got home to find that the postal strike has meant that my spindle and roving is yet to arrive.  I will be up and at the post office super-early tomorrow checking on it…  I’ve been looking at loads of site on home dyeing and spinning and as a consequence I’m tired of THINKING about it and just want to start DOING it!  I bought four balls of string from the 99p shop today so I’m going to spend my afternoon in the mother-in-law’s garden making a shopping bag of some description.  The weather is finally acting something like summer and not a minute too soon.  Tomorrow I have to force myself to sit down and start crocheting the doll for Ella.  It’s funny how you love doing something so much but the second your asked to do something you cant be bothered.  The stupidest thing is I know I’ll enjoy it once I get started and it’ll be Ella’s to keep and stuff which is pretty special when you think about it.  Maybe if I start on the head first I’ll feel some kind of mythical connection to it which will spur me on to finish it.  Or maybe not…

I also got home to receive my email confirming my participation in Secret Pal 11 which I’m very excited about.  In fact, everything seems positive at the moment, no post holiday blues, touch wood.  I’m going away again on Wednesday with my ma.  We’re going to Prague for four days and I can’t wait.  I haven’t been on holiday with my mum since I was a moody, awkward and sullen 15 year old.  Hopefully I’m a bit more grown up now!

My first sock is finished and I can’t stop putting it on and declaring,’Look what I made!’  It is also great fun skidding along the laminate floor in the kitchen with it on, it remind me of when we were kids and would take our shoes off in the supermarket when ma wasn’t looking and go whizzing down the aisles.  I’ll post a pic as soon as its partner is done and although they’re nothing special they aremy sock babies and I shall ooohhhh and aaahh over them until my second pair when they shall be put to one side and ignored.  Poor little socks…

Well, I’m off!  I’m actually really nervous about the whole thing now, not helped by my travel companion who texted me this morning to tell me that she had lost her luggage on the way here, got off the train and didn’t know where she was.  I phoned in a panic to discover she was in the laundrette.  Laughing.

Hopefully my drop spindle and some roving will be here when I get back, although John’s sister has asked me to crochet another doll for baby Ella who is due on the 6th August so I’m not sure how much time I’ll have to do it, I’m cutting it fine already. 

So I’ll see you in a week’s time when I can bore everyone with photos of various landmarks and drinking dens.  Auf Wiedersehen!

In continuing my quest for projects I can see the results from immediately, I’ve decided to knit some socks.  I’m using a pattern from Knitty.com and some cream 4-Ply.  I really wanted proper sock yarn but I have to wait in all day for someone to come and look at my electricity meter, so I’m trapped in the house for the time being.  I was going to get some tomorrow but I figure I wouldn’t get started until I got back from hols anyway so I may as well wait until next week.  I’ve also got to go and pick up some dark grey chunky yarn from the post office tomorrow that I won on ebay last week.  I’ve got enough to keep myself busy so I can’t really justify spending any more money on yarn.

Spent last night in the local walk-in clinic after John scraped his head on the sideboard and took a big chunk out of his forehead.  I think I felt more sick than he did, although I did have to look at it and he couldn’t see it so I think I can be forgiven for that!  No stitches but he has been assured he will have a big manly scar when it all heals so he’s not too upset about the whole thing.  I think that the worst bit for him is the fact that for now he has to walk around with a huge bandage on his forehead, the big baby!

I’ll post some pictures of the socks when they’re a little more developed, there’s not much to look at at the moment.  Right now I’m going to bed down, get on with the new socks and watch some real life crime documentaries while I wait for the electricity man.  My life is just a social whir…