Adventures in Tavistock

Spent a chilled, food centred weekend down in Devon with Gruff's folks. Tavistock is a very pretty market town with an excellent yarn shop which had a healthy stock of Rowan, DB, Noro AND Colinette yarn. I can definitely see myself visiting again. We went for a walk on Sunday and saw some Dartmoor ponies and some demented sheep but I have no photographic evidence because I didn't take my camera with me after I'd made a specific point to pack it amongst our stuff...
I thought i'd had the knitting agenda covered when I brought 2 projects with me but I RAN OUT OF YARN!! Yes, this is a SHOCKING state of play for someone who has over 300 balls of yarn.

So on the train back, bored with the picturesque scenery whzzing by and with my fingers itching, I took gratuitous shots of my Tavistock souveniors...





I was snapping happily away on the crowded train like some yarn pervert and found it a good opportunity to test out my camera. Gruff very wisely pretended to be asleep so that he could disassociate himself from the loon sitting opposite him.

This is my cabley project from Rowan Studio,... I'd like to think I captured the undulating and rolling landscape of Devon in these shots...

25% off @ Loop

Popped along t Loop and there happened to be 25% off everything... hmmmm -it was too good an opportunity to miss. Along with lots of DB Cashmerino Aran, I bought some Manos Del Urugray (?)





some Noro Cash Iro...









AND some Blue Sky Alpaca.... hmmmm,......

Sheep & Wool day @ Spitalfields Farm

Simply Irresistible

The stripey stuff is for a bag that I want to make... inspired by Lisa from U-Handblog. The knitting material was just far too cute to resist. Thanks flib!

Rowan yarn,.... hmmmm

The Jaeger Aqua just because it was £1 a ball, the cotton rope was probably a mistake boo,... the Rowan Holiday's for a stripey jumper and it was all just because I haven't been buying any ayrn lately and thought I should treat myself for working so hard at my high-pressured job.... ermm,.. can I think of any other reasons.... because it was a thursday? Because I got a little lost and accidentally wandered into the yarn department?.... sigh, Gruff's eyes almost popped out. My arms were aching a little the day after from lugging all my spoils home on the Number 8 bus... yarn therapy is so much cheaper than a day at the spa.

More fabrics... I don't even own a sewing machine!

Catching up

Work has consumed my life and left me little time for blogging, knitting and generally taking life easy. Have managed to squeeze in little intense pockets of fun stuff but it's not really me or my style. I'm shattered come the weekend and find myself in slumberland at 10 on a Friday evening. Not very rock n roll in the slightest. But just a quick recap of what i've been up to (going backwards), Went to Regent's park yesterday for the Green fair and did a little bit of knitting in between scoffing yummy brownies made by Lucy and drinking organic beer. Saturday was spent with relatives as my sister is in town. We hooked up with my cousin who has 2 adorasble munchkins. They are the most gorgeous little people on this earth and I'm being truely objective here. Yay - more knittees for me to subject my little woolly creations. It was nice to hang out with my sister who looks tiny and hence delicate but she is tough as old boots, plays rugby and has climbed up to the base camp of Everest - not once but twice! We are also vastly different in that my sister is uber-straight but I love her to bits and I know that i'm the little sister she always wanted despite my (occasional) naughtiness and grumpyness. Heh heh...

Mates & Blogs

Just finished reading a book about a friendship between 2 girls that disintegrates when they travel through India and it really got me thinking.

Part of my disenchantment with London (and the brief Hong Kong idea) was to do with how fragmented and dislocated I feel about my group of friends, some of whom I've known for practically a decade. We hardly see each other anymore and when we do it's normally to celebrate someone's birthday which means you have loads of catching up to do with what's been going on in your life. When there are about 5 of you it takes ages for us all to go into detail about our lives with any meaningful depth. We normally skim over the last couple of months by summarising it because there's just too much to cover. So after having this blog for months, I recently finally told them about this because I thought it'd be a good way for them to see what I've been up to and also find out more about me. I think I've revealed some stuff here that even old friends have been surprised with. Admittedly, a lot of it IS knitting related and might just as well be written in Greek but that's not the point. This way they can read about my life in their own time when they're not too busy. Yes, I know I can always pick up the phone to them but when you're knackered with work, the last thing you want to do is chat away on the phone. I'm not a phone person either, I'm brusque and leave long silences - I'm more comfortable writing, it just feels more 'me'. A friend protested that she didn't want to have a 'virtual' mate but I gently reminded her that it was better than having a no mate, someone distant that you've become estranged with. Yes, we're all busy people with a lot going on in our lives but sometimes I think we don't make enough time for each other. Or our schedules become too important to forsake - one excuse for not meeting up that I was given was that she had to go to the gym. Hmmmm, i'd rather see my old mate than pound away on the treadmill, wouldn't you? In fact, any paltry reason NOT to go to the gym would be fantastic let alone dinner with a friend I haven't seen in a while. Okay, I probably shouldn't be too harsh and I am delighted that some far-flung and dear friends are reading my little blog/diary/letter. (hello!! love you!!) I think this option is far better than blasting out a mass email intruding into people's inboxes no? So I think somewhat sadly that some friendships are getting weaker through the lack of maintenance but I guess that's life. Then there are friends that you see every week and yet you still take enormous delight in reading their blogs and looking at their photos. I guess with old friends you've drifted away from you'll always have the memories to treasure and that's all that you can be grateful for.

Whaoow.. heavy I know but I'm in a somewhat pensive mood today. Or maybe it's just the hangover from yesterday kicking in... hmmmm...

p.s. loved the footie yesterday especially when some yobs were chanting 'Rooney... rooney' - I felt strangely acknowledged.

Wateraid and Knit-A-River

Amazing photos from Yvonne - http://www.flickr.com/photos/61477100@N00/sets/72157600208240606/show/

all the squares were so different and beautiful. For a full story of the project and demo, read this - http://www.iknit.org.uk/2007/01/knitted-river-is-very-long-indeed.html. As I marched, thinking about the autonomy we take for granted for even being able to go on a march, it was doubly depressing and really sobering to think of the poverty that the lack of clean water causes. I can't imagine having to trek for miles just to get clean water for your daily necessities. Hmmm... so even though it was a Saturday morning and I could have really done with a lie-in, I'm glad I went on the demo. Apathy is a modern curse.

He's stalking me!

Too many adventures to tell - went for the Knit-A -River demo on Saturday and it felt good to be a knitting activista. The last march I went on was the Anti-Iraq war on the 15th of Feb 2003 and a fat lot of good that did. Shame on you Tony Blair and good f**king riddance! Great time knitting at the Dove then went for coffee and cake at Martina's followed by a yummy vietnamese meal rounded off by a Flamenco night in Hackney. But Kevin Rowland was at the restaurant so i reckon he's stalking me. Work is tough - sigh .... 11 hours days and waking up at half-6 is a bit much for my idle system. Yawn, too tired to have my dinner,.. might fall zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Encounters with Icons

We have been without broadband for a while - it's been an ongoing battle which I won't go into simply because i'll just get angry and turn green. This has meant that Gruff and I have had to resort to buying over-priced drinks at our local coffe shop in exchange for "free" wifi - bah! When I was posting the other evening about the chaos of the flat - a crusty looking bloke sitting next to me asked for help, or rather demanded it. The encounter went something like this;

Shifty bloke: (tetchily) Excuse me! Why is my internet not working? Subtext: you look like geeky technophile seeing as it's a Saturday evening and you're on the internet which obviously means you're devoid of a social life

Me: You need the IP address (trying my best to be helpful but taken aback by this man's brusqueness)

SB: I have it here (expectantly waving a scrap of paper in my face)

Me: Sorry, I'm not a Mac user - I wouldn't know what to do. Subtext: It's your bloody computer, how the hell should I know why it's not working? Don't own a computer if you can't operate it Bozo!

SB: (stares at me aghast at my lack of co-operation)

Me: You could ask the guys behind the counter - they're quite helpful. Leave me be to get on with my blogging, loser!

Shifty bloke saunters off and Gruff whispers in my ear that he thinks the bloke's 'someone famous'. Gruff has a quick look on wikipedia and it's only Kevin Rowland who sang 'Come on Eileen' which was an anthem in my teenage years. Holy moly!!! My teenage self would never have thought I'd ever in a million years ever get to be sitting NEXT TO him let alone refuse to help him out with his little computer issue. Imagine!! If it'd been co-operative and sorted him out, he'd be forever grateful and I would have made a little difference in an icon's life!! Sigh.... I really should work on my celebrity spotting so that I can coolly ignore them instead of being rudely oblivious. Have spotted Tracey Emin and Gilbert & George whilst mooching about this hood but have always been too polite to stare. Except for Pete Docherty whom I usually scowl at as he's often just in my way.

Sleeve-o-matic

I have a thing about sleeves, once I've raced through knitting up the backs and fronts of garments as per the order suggested by patterns I'm normally jaded and the thought of knitting two sleeves turns me off. I have such an aversion that I'm thinking of just sticking to sleeveless garments (it is summer after all). But even so, the Courtney dress from Rowan Studio 1 would look pretty ridiculous without sleeves I reckon - so I've resigned myself to my fate. Then I remebered a conversation with Loba at K's & P's where she helpfully suggested that perhaps I should start the projects with the sleeves and get the difficult stage over and done with. Loba's great, I am going to miss her muchos when she returns to Denmark although she is trying to persuade us to go over for a knitting symposium in September. Aside from the small fact that all of us apart from Loba can't understand a single word of Danish, it's a top idea. How would we contribute to the symposium when they are discussing the merits of toe-up socks or the state of the yarn industry is just by-the-by. Hmmm,... I have a feeling pointing and gesticulating wildly just won't lend our contingent any credit. We could always go for the scenery I guess as the symposium is apparently held on a very pretty island. I guess we could always go and nod politely at whatever's said to us and attempt the universal language of the K's & P's. I can just see us 'oohing' and 'ahhhing' as we stroke luscious yarns or gaze in awe at great knitted pieces of art.

Yorkshire Tweed DK - Blessed

Little beret I made that's in desperate need of felting. Far, far too large! Made one a while back in red for my lovely friend Martina and have always wanted to make one for myself. A suggestion was made at Foyles that I should find someone with a big head to give it to,.. hmmmm.

Weekend of Kidsilk Haze.. hmmmmmm!

Yes , you're not mistaken Juliette Binoche is using some lovely electric blue kidsilk haze as pom poms. Heh heh, who needs photoshop eh? She mirrors how exuberant I feel about my new acquisitions. Thanks again Jenny!Was having a conversation with Cassie last night about the ksh after a fantastic meal at The Baltic and she reckons that electric blue is very this season so I guess i'll have to get a move on. I've been playing with the cherry reds I got at my capitulation during lent and the swatch above is the result.

Chaos @ Chez Rooney

Gruff started his DIY mission with the fine purchase of a new cordless drill. He was beaming from ear to ear as he stroked his new toy and I tried to look interested. I guess I'm getting a taste of what he must go through when I rattle on about new yarn. In any case, the photos above and below capture the chaos of my little flat in the last week. Gruff's stuff seems to have mushroomed - I looked around with increasing despondency about where all this stuff would go and what more stuff I'd have to chuck out to make space. Thankfully we are getting there and it'll all be sorted out by this weekend because I got the JOB!! Found out yesterday and I start next week! My blissful little existence consisting of fun stuff like hanging out with flib eating ice-cream in her beautiful garden and knitting at Foyles is coming to an abrupt end.Boo... and just as I was beginning to think that I could get used to loafing about. I had to go through 3 interviews with about 5 different people just to get this job which is a temporary one! Seems pretty excessive to me but at least they're thorough. Oh well, at least it'll fund my yarn obsession

I ditto what the Clanger's thinking

Sick of this stupid cold

Spent the whole weekend sneezing and filling the flat with soggy tissues. Nice eh? It started on Thursday evening completely out of the blue which meant that I had to miss Knitflicks on Saturday - most annoying as I was really looking forward to watching the film and I haven't been to a screening in ages. Was all hyped up to go to the flower market on Sunday as well but the thought of all that pollen cuaisng me to sneeze on unsuspecting punters put me off.

Haven't been able to do much tidying or purging in the flat which means that poor Gruff will only have a little corner for his stuff when he moves in this weekend!! Oh dear, should get my skates on really. But what's offered some consolation is a little dusky pink, picot-edged beret that I started on Thursday (hmmm,.... love the tweedy colours although I think it'll go down in my memory as The-beret-I-made-when-I-had-that-nasty-cold-that-didn't-want-to-go-away).

This cold has meant that I can't enjoy my new status as unemployed bum although I have a telephone interview later on which is just as well - don't think I'm likely to impress anyone with my red nose and blotchy, watery eyes. This is my second interview with a big, prestigious, slave-driver, bumper profit making American-Jewish bank - yes, THAT one. I'm already pretty chuffed that my CV made it through to the interview stage. Har, har.... when I told Gruff he was completely oblivious and therefore unimpressed about what a big deal it is that they took the time to see me - it's what I adore about Gruff. IfI get the hands free thingy to work, I could even continue knitting my beret as they grill me about important banking stuff. Hee hee!

Clyde bag and crocheted flower

Not sure what kind of flower I was trying to recreate but it took several attempts and in the end I ran out of time. Man, I can be so anal sometimes about getting it perfect.

Little Clyde bag served me well except I tried to stuff it with too many things and the bottom just barely held out. First felted item though and it's mildly addictive. Instead of using a taffeta ribbon as instructed - I cut up the sleeve of an old silk shirt that I had ruined in the wash which coincidentally matched my dress - happy days!

Little red hat gets glammed up for the ball

I had problems with the finishing of this little red delight - a whole raft of questions flooded my mind, ribbon or no? what type? what colour? and then Gruff suggested a flower which prompted some frenzied crocheting. It ended up being placed on the Clyde bag and substituted with a leather hair thing which made it look slightly more contemporary. A bit of a cobbled-together hat but I love it.

Hooking & Felting

To all you non-crafters out there - this is nothing seedy. Gail & I went to a crotchet workshop at Fabrications which was run by the talented Rachel Matthews who has written some great books about twisting fibres.

Concentrating & absorbing information was hard with a hangover and I felt a little disabled. Just using one tool and one main hand felt strange and abnormal. It's a bit like going from skiing to snowboarding, the terrain's (yarn's) the same but you have less equipment and more liberty to 'free-form'. Knitting is more regimented, technical and perhaps austere whereas crotcheting feels more wanton. Hmmm,... haven't really got a preference and I did wonder whilst I was struggling why I was putting myself through this when I've already got an knitting obsession. Seems slightly sadistic! I am a little smitten with being able to create alien-like, oddly-shaped items of woolly blobs see my jellyfish like thing above.

In preparation for the wedding this Saturday, I have also been felting with the much loved Yorkshire Aran Tweed.... not sure how it's supposed to look but I'm pretty pleased with the results.

Other more mundane news - I have handed in my notice! Har har!!!.... Will miss my 14th floor office and the lovely view of the London Eye that twinkles in the sun. But I feel relieved so that's definitely a sign that it's the right decision. It's a bit of a shame as I'm getting along with the girl I previously posted about. We have been getting along recently i.e. she gave me an easter egg - and yes, chocolate is the surest way into my affections.

Also got offered a job in Hong Kong which meant a lot of agonising navel-gazing and thinking about whether to leave this smelly old town and future life-directions. I've been free-forming too much without any coherent overall vision. It might be nice to be back in Asia and the post-holiday blues inducing a bit of london fatigue has kicked in. Guess I have to sit down and write out a proper life-pattern to follow. Hmmmm,....