one good apple

A whole separate post for this beauty - my UK Swap parcel arrived yesterday!

There was also a bar of After Eight dark chocolate there but it didn’t;t last long once it was out of the parcel.  Some gorgeous purple yarn as well as some undyed to dye as I see fit, a lovely crochet hook case, Body Shop bath goodies, including Coconut Body Butter which is just divine, some adorable buttons and some cards for my Gocco.  Thank you secret pal, you’ve made my Saturday!  Now I just need to figure out who you are so I can thank you in *blog* person!

I know this isn’t knitting related, but I thought I’d ask you to share your favourite Valentine’s Day memory, or your current plans for this year. Just to share some love.

If the truth be told, I’ve never really been that into Valentines Day,mainly because I’m not a flowers and teddy bears kind of girl and that seems to be the standard thing to give and receive.  I’m one of those horrible people that would rather get nothing at all than something that little or no though has gone into.  Very high maintenance.  John and I tend to get each other films or books or something like that.  Last year I got him a book about German U-boats because he’s really into military history and his grandfather served on the Russian convoy during WW2 and I though he’d be really into it.  And he was, he loved it and was very happy.  But for some reason  he opened it at his mother’s house who was rather horrified to see that his long-term girlfriend had bought him a book called ‘Metal Coffins’ for Valentines Day.  There were lots of worried glances and searches for reassurance for a good few weeks after that, I can tell you.  This year I have got him Arthur C Clarke’s Mysterious Worlds on DVD.  She can’t interpret that badly surely..

I remember ages ago writing about a Rainbow Brite jumper my mum knitted me when I was a kid.  Out of the many amazing things she did knit for me this was by far my favourite.  So the other day I was lolloping around on eBay and found this,

heaven to betsy I’m a happy bunny.  Off back to Yorkshire in two weeks to see my mum during half term and shall be availing myself of the joys that are Boyes acrylic yarns in all the colours of the rainbow and knitting this bad boy.  There were some other really sweet patterns in there too - Danger Mouse, Victoria Plum and Postman Pat - that amounted to an eighties childhood flashback.  Love it.

Part of the UK Swap that I’m involved in is to answer an optional question each week about knitting.  This week’s is,

What is your process when planning a project? Do you shop for yarn and then find a suitable pattern? Do you find your pattern and then go out to buy the yarn? Or are you stash-busting? If your stash is out of control, how did it get that way?

Well, I look for patterns first of all.  It’s all about the pattern mainly because I’m not all that fussy in terms of the yarns I use.  I have nothing against acrylic because when I started knitting acrylic was all I could afford and it doesn’t matter if you throw it in the wash with everything else because you can say a lot about the stuff but fussy it ain’t.  I’ve never bought a sweater’s worth of yarn without having a definite pattern in mind.  At the moment I’m meant to be stash-busting because I have a ton of 4-ply that I was given but 4-ply is a long term commitment and if I’m honest, I’m too flighty for the stuff - I want pretty obvious results fast.

So, that’s that for this week…  I finished another embroidered pillow case,

I’m loving the embroidery at the moment and spending more time on it than the knitting.  I bought some material today to make some handkerchief/serviette things with so will be spending the rest of the evening fiddling around with that.

Oh, one last thing.  Last night I went to see this,

and loved it.  The first time Johnny Depp sang the whole cinema began giggling but his cockney accent was mercifully better than in From Hell and Helena Bonham Carter was just ace.  I know some people think Tim Burton is just a one trick pony but if the trick is that good then who cares?  John didn’t want to see it so I went with my best friend from uni who was up visiting.  She’d had a rough night the night before and fell asleep halfway through.  Which wasn’t too bad until she started snoring and I had to wake her up.  Nothing to do with the quality of the film, she assured me…

For now, toodle-pip x

Part One: Crafting

Do you knit, crochet, or both?

I do both, although more knitting than crochet at the moment.

What do you like to make? Do you have a favourite project?

Instant gratification always works for me.  I like making toys, stuff for myself, sweaters, the usual really…

Do you have a favourite type of fiber or brand of yarn?

I’ll knit with pretty much anything although merino and alpaca are always winners.  Brand-wise I’m not too fussy either but Debbie Bliss has been an amazing yarn to knit with and I was gifted some gorgeous Artesano Hummingbird by Mandy my SP11 pal.  I am also seriously coveting this at the moment.

Do you have a least favourite type of yarn?

I’m not a big fan of novelty yarn with bubbles and bobbles and stuff like that.  Other than that I’ll knit with pretty much anything.

Do you do any other crafts?

Oh god yes, jack of all trades, master of none, that’s me.  I paint, draw, make stuff with clay, cross stitch, embroidery.  I’ll try anything as long as it means I can put off the laundry till later.  For example, today I was meant to read up on Language and Gender for the start of term.  Instead I filled in this questionnaire, bought a badge maker, made some badges, bought some yarn, worked on a sweater I’m knitting and commented on a ton of blogs.  The school work is still sitting in a bag on the sideboard.  Humph.

What knitting do you bring ‘on the go’?

Oh I don’t.  Work is work and I have no time for anything and I drive to and from work so…  If I’m going to see my mum I’ll take something for in front of the telly - usually what I’m working on at the time - although it doesn’t normally see the light of day.

What do you carry your ‘on the go’ knitting in? Do you want something new?

I have various little cotton bags, too many to justify another one.  Although if the material’s cute enough…

Are there any knitting gifts (book, toy, yarn, item, tool) that you have been lusting over?

Other than the yarn I mentioned earlier?  Peaches and Creme is great to knit with - I just finished Quant using a skein of it.  I could do with somewhere to keep my crochet hooks, they languish with my embroidery threads at the moment looking all lost and forlorn.  Book-wise I like the look of ‘Vintage Knit: Thirty Knitting Designs for Men and Women’ by Kim Hargreaves and the last Rowan Magazine.

Part Two: Your Favourites

What is your favourite colour? What is your least favourite colour?

I love purple (this apparently means I am vain)  I wear a lot of blues and greens but love bright reds also.  I’m not a beige person and I’ve never really gone for ‘natural’ hues.  Obviously neon is never a good call and I am definitely not a pink person.

What scents/smells do you like? What don’t you like?

I love that Christmassy smell of cinnamon and apples.  I also like coconut and passionfruit stuff.  I’m not a big perfume fan really and I don’t really like flowery scents.  Grump grump grump.

How do you like to pamper yourself? (bubble bath, hand creams, massage, manicure)

Mmmm hand cream.  We only have a shower so bubble baths are out of the question sadly but I really like coconut shower cream and body shop cocoa butter.

What goodies to you like to treat your tummy with? (chocolate, biscuits, truffles, etc.)

My tummy enjoys treats more than it should .  I like dark chocolate - the hard stuff, 70% and above.  Oh, and After Eights.  I could eat After Eights until I start to smell of mint.  I also have a soft spot for old fashioned sweets like flying saucers and dolly mixtures.  Cheap and cheerful.

Do you prefer tea or coffee while you knit? Any particular kind? Favourite mug/cup?

I was raised on Yorkshire Tea, stewed to within an inch of its life with plenty of milk.  You can tell a good cup of tea by the tannin stain left on the side of the mug.  My favourite cup is a vat and saucer from Whittard’s.  It was meant to be a Christmas present but I kept it for myself (can you see where the purple thing comes into play yet?!)

Do you listen to/watch anything while you knit? (TVshow-Along, movies, music, podcasts)

Tom Hanks classics - The ‘Burbs, The Money Pit - as well as stupid stuff like Anchorman and Dumb and Dumber (best film ever) that you can watch without thinking about.  I also love I’m Alan Partridge and The Mighty Boosh and Peep Show.  I’m highbrow, honestly.

Part Three: Living & Past-times

Where do you live in the UK?

Liverpool, capital of culture 2008  *titters into hand*

Have you always lived here, or did you grow up somewhere else?

I grew up in Yorkshire, strong in the arm, thick in the head and all that.  Came to Liverpool to go to Uni  nearly ten *sob* years ago, met the boy, and never left.  Why would you leave a city where people call you ‘queen’ on a daily basis?

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?

God, everywhere.  Travelling across America on a Greyhound bus and pretending I was in a Simon and Garfunkle song was always particularly appealing to me.  I’d like to go to Russia too (GCSE in it don’t you know, just don’t mention the grade) and back to Berlin again please.

If you couldn’t go to a knitting group, what other kind of gathering would you go to? (book club, tea party, yoga class, jewelery class, etc.)

I go to a local book group once a month and I swim, although not as much as I should do.  Other than that there’s nothing I do on a regular basis.  In fact, don’t tell anyone but I dont even go to a knitting group.  I don’t know why seeing as though there is a perfectly good one down the road once a week

What’s your style? (elegant, traditional, glamourous, girly, natural, sporty, outgoing, etc.)

Ha!  Elegant is not a word that could be applied to me.  I like what I like, vintage dresses and skirts for work, lots of cosy knits, anything that’s a little different to everyone else.  I’d like to say quirky and unique but that sounds a little big headed.  A girl in my tutor group told me the other week, ‘You wear really weird clothes but they look really good on you’  I took that as a compliment.  To do otherwise would have upset me.

Final Part:

Any allergies/preferences (fiber-wise or treat-wise)?

My face complains vehemently if I put anything other than Clinique on it (the snob) but other than that I am proud to say I’m allergy free.

Anything we missed that you’d like your partner to know?

Nope, I’m done.  Feel free to ask though.