Look at me Mama!

I'm crafting!!!


(pics to follow)

Alone. All alone.

So here I am, the day before the end of January and I have been kicked out of my home.

I shouldn't complain really I suppose.

The sun is shining. The sky is blue and finally the temperature has risen into positive numbers. That and the fact that my banishment is only temporary. As I wait for the ping of the text message to say I am allowed back I am sitting ina flash chain coffe shop at a table with comfy seats. I have an uber-trashy newspaper, CK's baby laptop, my knitting plus a MAHOOSIVE hot chocolate has been consumed.

One can only imagine the things that are taking place back at Trash Towers.

Last year during my exclusion they were designing and decorating the '40' magnet that now adorns my fridge. The year before I walked the dogs in the bitter cold and dark while they secretly baked a cake. Apparently it was CK's determination to keep it secret that stopped him washing the dishes that were already waiting to be done. You see, he didn't want me becoming suspicious so he only did the implements of baking. He was corrected of this misapprehension very swiftly.

Tomorrow will show the results of today's adventures.

So anyway this past week up at Trash Towers we have

- had the architect visit and been extremely excited to think we wouldn't need planning permission but reality soon intruded. (I know I have posted this already but I did say the ecitement was extreme!!!)

- had words with destructoBoy's teacher bc I am sending him to school in tears as he is so bored. Was very restrained about the whole thing and tried to work w her (trust me it isn't easy) but think the older, v . experienced teacher sidling into room on a pretext during meeting AND then contributing more than a little rude and quite odd.

- been pondering the balance of letting daughter attend much desired sleepover vs not wishing her to watch 'Zombieland' movie OR 'Sun, sea & sex' tv programme.

- been gobsmacked at friend thinking it funny to point out on Facebook that she thinks I talk to much. Perhaps I do love but there is a time and place is all I am saying.

- watched OMD become increasingly wobbly-headed and unsteady. Think he may have had another episode. Current in-house theory is extreme cold exacerbates his condition.

- found job to apply for. Right field, close-by, not ridiculous hours. All this adds up to me being unlikely to get it! Never mind, shall send in application anyway.

- have given into the frigging headcold that has been visiting. Am so completely over having to exist on lipbalm and water. Promise that one day my lips will be uncracked?

- made one of Jodie's softies. OK so his head is a little skewiff and I didn't put on the seperate face bit that actually makes him a monkey but d/Boy and I were pleased.

- made a fairy skirt for god-daughter bc it is really only 4yo who will wear the things I make (see note about 'skewiff' above).

- tried to knit lace patterns. With each attempt I manage several rows correctly and then BAM! the whole thing goes wrong. Do you think it is personal?

- had a pedicure AND an eyelash tint. Beautician lady is also teaching assistant at d/Boy's school so indulged in good gossip. Plus tint was free as she was practising for her course. Noice!

- planned day out to Southampton with CK tomorrow. John Lewis, Ikea, Waterstones and as many other nice shops as I can fit into the available time there. Damn you school pick-up necessity!

- made biscuits AND cake for school cake stall.

- had lunch with lovely friends in gorgeous cottage. Some people just have the magic touch with design and acessories.

- been with a friend when she received horrible news.

- , as always, taken time to be grateful and appreciative of the small things that make up life.

Wishing you all a fabulous February.

Went to London to visit the Queen but apparently she doesn't see 'derros'

Have I mentioned there has been a 'Rainbow Swap' going on? Some groovey chick I know came up with a plan and loads of luvverly international girlies agreed to take part.

I was delighted when my swap partner turned out to be the truly luvverly and fabulous Charlie P up in The Pigeon Loft . Very thrilled it receive this parcel of rainbowy loveliness last week.

Turns out Young Miss P.L. is incredibly talented as well as clever and beautiful as not only was the button notepaper and matching brooch designed and created by her but so too the fabric!

There was a rainbow explosion of ribbon from a sweet little noodle box chosen by her own fair hand

but I think even a whizzkid such as she would not lay claim to handcrafting the Skittles!

Being a parent of such grace and virtue I even held 0ff scoffing them down until Pr.C-W and d/Boy were home from school to share.

Once the excitement of Rainbow Swapping had died down a bit (three sleeps!) it was time to head up to town to the Big Smoke. Maria Juanita Conchita Gonzales delivered me faithfully to the train station and sat quietly waiting my return.

As I arrived hours before everyone else I let my heart fly free and found myself on Piccadilly at Fortnum and Mason's.

Combination of bucketing rain and d/Boy's school backpack adorning my dog-walking coat gave me a decidedly bag-lady air but they are far too mannered at my beloved F&M to comment (that and there is no doorman).

I swooned from department to department, floor to floor. I delighted in the lighting, the layout, the colours and the products. I even delighted in the prices, knowing full well that some of what they sold was even worth the money.

Already uber-burdened I bought just a few trifles with which to tease my soul.

Single estate chocolate (which the nice man at Loop appreciated on Saturday), some funky marshmallows we taste-tested for pudding last night (lemon was our favourite, violet not so much) and an F&M tea towel which already has a repurpose mission attached to it.

Eventually my past caught up with me and Moog and Locket tracked me down. We mooched up and down Marylebone High Street, enjoying the big city lights. Some of us enjoyed a little more than just the lights!

Then it was off to the plush hotel where it turns out the font of all knowledge isn't actually experience and practice but Messrs Google and Youtube.

It all got too much and Lesley threw herself backwards in sheer frustration.

Never one to miss an opportunity Locket claimed the pillow for herself and just kept on going!

After a great night's sleep for some we packed up our bags, hailed a cab and visited Loop, Liberty and Covent Garden before I gave in and claimed my train seat home.

With a delighted air I spotted Maria Juanita Conchita Gonzales sitting under the street light where I had left her 36 hours earlier. Bags dumped on the passenger seat , into the driver's side and a quick flick of key. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Someone had left the lights on and my little hot tamale was completely drained of her usual bouncy energy. I rang CK to come get me. The phone died before I finished dialling. Taxi was waiting on the rank but a look in my wallet revealed about £2.53 in change. Our little station has NO phonebox. The nearest ATM is a hike.

There was a collection of young people waiting by the station (locked) door so ignoring the half-empty bottles of alcohol they held and explaining my predicament I asked if I could borrow a phone. As one tall blonde lad passed his mobile over, the statesque blonde girl beside him asked "Are you Australian?" in a very Strine accent.

"yes." I replied as I dialled.

"We are too." she finished. Another girl then asked where I was from in Australia. As I said 'Victoria' the phone was whipped from my hand. Holding out my hand I said 'Ah,you will be form New South Wales then..'

As CK answered I remember thinking 'God was I ever that young and stupid?' Sadly the answer was a resounding YES!!

So our story ends with the exhausted princess being driven home by a faithful coachman in his comfortable hansom cab all the way up the hill where her knight in shining armour waited with a ten pound note in his hand to claim his beautiful bride.

THE END

Day Three in the Big Brother House (or jetlag crossed with persistent rain - the result)

We have just completed Day Three and the British weather has turned on everything in its arsenal to make things super special. Or not.

We drove up to a small market town - home of the fabulous Millie Moon and Marmalade Yarns
and the further we drove from home the heavier the rain got. Once there it reached the point that both children strapped on lifejackets before exiting the car. However a restorative break in a really old-fashioned tearooms made Grandad a bit happier.

Jetlag is being handled quite well with both of them still being awake after 9:30 tonight. Fortunately muchos bob was delivered as the bags were unpacked on Monday. Yay for Cherry Ripes ;-)

Sylv and I were both doing a little showing off on Monday afternoon and the despised Noro hat was claimed for repatriation to Australia so my friend will have to live without. T.G. I never told her about it I s'pose.

Some very exciting news about Millie Moon but more on that tomorrow

'Didn't we have a luvverly time the day we went out shopping?'

I picked up WonderWoman(not!), waved hello to the farty pony and off we went to a nearby town with a secret shopping street of loveliness. Wonderwoman(not!) even had a list!

Our first stop was here. Oh Millie Moon, how I love thee!

After much hemming and hawing I bought myself these to go into the 'Fortnums Quilt' (one day... one day...)

And I was thrilled to receive these as a gift for showing my fellow shopper two whole new places to make her credit card squeal.

Guess where they are going to end up?!!?!?!

I bought d/Boy a present.

Theoretically it is for the back of his cushion but as he has yet to finish his part of the stitchery....


Just a few doors up we found this gorgeous wool shop. Loving that window. I didn't want to but I was made to buy this sock yarn because apparently the colours are 'me'! We shall see if I get more than one sock out of it.

And as just a wee teaser let me show you the VERY exciting thing that was waiting in my postbox yesterday.

Remember to keep checking back to get the full story.

Dear Innernets, I'm just going out. I may be gone some time.

The nice Amazon man came to my house this morning.



He brought me presents.



I love them.


Wanna see?

Look! An embroidery party!

I have to make these!

I am going to make the kids make these!

And one of these.

But mean and horrid old CK, ably assissted by my own traitorous conscience, has said I have to finish everything else first.


So, despite the driving snow and howling gales, the great outdoors of my UFO/WIP pile beckons. Dear Innernets, I am just going out. I may be sometime................

A modern day fairy tale

Once upon a time there was a snail. His name was Soucho. He was a very happy snail, filled with the joys of the ever approaching Spring. With the sun shining so brightly in the sky Soucho thought it was the perfect day for a walk.




There are so many interesting things to see - Oo! Hello there!! Would you like to join me?

{{quiver, quiver}} What's that hiding in the shadows? I don't think I like it. I've read Hairy McClary.... {{quiver, shake}}



EEEEEEEEEEEEEYOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWFITZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



No matter which way I turn, there it is! Aaaaaargh!!!!



Run away! Run away!

So Soucho raced at top speed (about 0.62 kilometres per hour) to a lovely dark spot under a rock until Scarface Claw went home to have a sparrow for tea.

Everybody lived happily ever after. Except the sparrow.

THE END

Many thanks to the fabulous Missus Moogsmum for her lovely craft ability in creating Babyman's friend, Soucho.

Thank you all for your help.

You will be pleased to hear I took absolutely no notice of the advice I sought. I didn't draw names out of a hat, or pin the tail on the donkey or computer or child as V.C. suggested or actually go with any of the suggestions any of you kind and lovely people provided.

Instead Princess C-Dub and myself have been sitting here mooching through mochimochiland and have decided that we quite like the UhOhs. CK has walked past shaking his head b/c he knows that he will bear the brunt of my flung needles as I spend evenings trying to work these blurry things around on DPNs. Not that he will end up looking like a hedgesnog or anything but I may curse a little and swear a lot as the little ring things are knitted up.

I shall keep you upated on the progress but first I must go and finish my crocogator from the bible of little animal knitting patterns. Just got to stuff and stitch him up! (not in an East End/criminal kind of way - that would be bad obviously)

I tried. Really, I tried hard.

Have you heard of the chippie (crisp to you Brits) scarf? WKM has a picture posted here and I was so entranced by her fabulous work that I thought I would give it a go.

My plan was to make it for a friend's birthday (beg. Feb since you ask) and even splashed out on some NORO in a colourway I thought may suit her. This in itself makes me saintly as I have never really got the appeal of Noro.

WMK very kindly supplied me with the pattern and I set about casting on. The trick with the chippie scarf is that although this first stage may take several years and wear out either your fingers or your needles the actual knitting is only nine rows worth.

This being Britain I first had to juggle the needle size conversion then realised that I couldn't be ar*ed to actually go buy the right ones and so began by using 9mm rather than 10mm figuring this wouldn't make much difference. I'm sure it didn't.

What may well have been an issue in my increasing concern with this project was this obsession the Americans have about knitting with sticks. Or not. Nearly every recipe I see from the U.S. is knit in the round , either dpns or circular needles. I only possess one set of ea. of these and even together they wouldn't come close to 10mm so I started with straights.

No seriously. And I was okay for the first few rows. But then when the increases meant there was over 300 stitches on the stick things began to get a little tricky.

I sent out a distress call and WMK came dashing to my rescue with not just one but TWO circular needles. Figuring this was a bit excessive I carefully put one set away and kept on going. A few more rows of increasing and I was up to over 600 stitches!! AND they were stretched over BOTH sets of WMK's needles.




By the time I got to the end of the eighth row my fingers were starting to cry real tears and the wool was never going to last through to casting off so I let it sit in one of the increasing number of knitting bags to fester develop for a little while.

But last weekend I had had enough. This chippie scarf, much as I loved it, was going nowhere. So I dedicated Saturday night in front of the telly to restructuring my scarf-in-progress.

This is the result.

But I am hoping I have a new home for waiting for it.

New page. Old year.

Do you like the new look?



This colour green is the same as the Malabrigo wool my ISE 5 partner sent me. Is it not divine? (I mean the slightly darker green, although the other is nice too.) This is the colour I want to use for my sleeveless top. P.G. there will be enough, although if there became less of me in the NewYear I would need less, right?



I mooched up and down the High Street today and found my favourite LYS is having a sale - 40% off all wool! CK made me walk right past it yesterday as he was the only one who had been to the bank but I got there today and guess who is the new owner of a shank of glorious Artesano Alpaca (hummingbird colourway) for only £7.00 something?



The lovely 'Little Red Hen' also has lots of very nice other things on sale too - some of which I am hoping will turn up for my birthday - eg, large jugs . Although I have been playing with an early (or very late) birthday present for the last few days.



I got this i-pod from my lovliest ever brother he was here and it came with the words 'This is all your birthday presents for the last and next ten birthdays, right?' Not as generous as it may sound (although it really is b/c was a little bit shocked when I found out quite what they cost!!!) as he had actually bought it for his 13 y.o. daughter but she wasn't giving up the mini/nano/shuffle thingy she already had so we kind of got the cast-off - no complaints though you understand. As part of my Christmas present I received an i-tunes voucher and haven't we had fun with that!? Everything from this to this - we do eclectic in this house!



It was very knitty kind of holiday season here at Trash Towers - a wooden pair of 3.5mm needles which each child & I will paint together, two knitting magazines with patterns I actually want to use and a book, a murder mystery. A murder mystery. Based on knitting. And when I get my camera back from under the mounds of seasonal crap currently decorating Trash Towers all y'all are going to be so impressed!



Off to visit my god-daughter next weekend for a belated Christmas/birthday lunch. I don't think she will mind things being either 14/7 days late as she only turned one on Boxing Day! So thankfully I have finished both dolls and (again with the camera and the piles of stuff!) I will take a photie before they head off to their new home.



So this year is nearly over and it is another one for which I am extremely grateful. I am very pleased to say that 2007 was a decidedly average and mildly interesting year for us. We all got a year older (the dogs too!), Princess Curly-Wurly and BabyMan went up a class at school. We had minor illnesses, bugs and injuries. CK had stressful moments at work and I shouted at small children (mine and borrowed) but that was it. Not wishing to invoke hubris - but no major calamities, sagas or fall-outs. We are so grateful and I can only hope that 2008 stays on such an even keel.

May the gods smile on you all.