Jaywalkers, Glass needles

I finished these a while ago, but was prompted by Grumperina's recent post (June 15th/16th) to take pics and send her one for her gallery. A beautiful day to take some pics.

I am almost finished on the brioche tank-top from Summer Interweave, in grey and multi-muted wigwam by Colinette. Quite fun. We'll see how it looks on.

I'm part way through lots of things, but going to the South of France in a few weeks, so I plan to spend time on Joe (see previous post, stripey hemp top) and the Lotus Blossom Top from Summer interweave (in red bamboo, from getknitted) as I reckon these plant fibres may be more standable in the heat. Oh, and maybe glampyre's Angelica tunic in Hipknits silk, in reds and blues. And the sock.

I may have mentioned the knitlist I am on; well it has many joys (except when people go right off at a tangent, and end up rowing. That's rowing like 'now', not like 'toe'). A recent one is meeting (on-line) Martha Kauppi, a glass artist. She makes glass knitting needles (and uses them herself, too). Couldn't resist - so I've bought myself two beeyootiful sets of DPNS: one size 7US (just under 4.5mm) in an amazing black/brown, white and glowing green barberpole in clear glass, and the other size 3US ( just under 3.25mm) in just the glowing green spiralling on itself. Luscious.

Cardiff Castle

Just a couple of pics (I hope) of a meet-up with knit-sibs at Cardiff Castle last Tuesday. Leigh, Brenda from my knitlist, her partner Tonia and I all spent a great afternoon chatting in dappled shade surrounded by LOUD, beautiful peacocks. We knat and talked very happily, ate Welsh waffles in the lovely warm afternoon. (Brenda is standing, and the pic of Leigh won't load. Bloody Blogger!).
This is the start of the Eleonora sock by Miriam (of Mim's Knitting Frenzy), in sock yarn named 'Charcoal' by Carol at Black Bunny Fibers. Love the yarn and the pattern! (It's my foot too, and the hammock in our garden).

30 things

So, Kerrie wants us to write 30 things about us. Here goes:

1 I knit
2 I buy yarn
3 I buy patterns
no surprises so far...
4 I am very messy. No really, really messy. Worse than you are imagining.
5 I love reading, but seem to knit instead these days.
6 I spent summers in Wales as a kid, and remember it being warm and sunny most of the time.
7 I got an ipod nano for Christmas - so I could listen to Brenda while I knit. Or books on the ipod.
8 I love the martinis my father-in-law makes. So dry they barely pour, and made from vodka (though I prefer gin usually).
9 I am a major gin snob. Won't drink Gordons any more (which limits pub G&Ts), cos I just don't finish them! Favourites are Hendricks, Tanqueray Ten and Plymouth (for old times' sake). Very cold, with a trifle of tonic (not slim!) and 1 ice cube. Fussy? Moi?
10 I drive an orange smart car (mine's nicer, the silver bits are black which goes better with the orange).
11 I am a bodger. I VERY rarely rip, and tink only as much as I have to. It's home-made, isn't it?
12 I Like going for walks (hiking to North Americans), but - perhaps later? I need encouragement to get started!
13 I'm very hot and sweaty at night.
14 I only get my hair cut about 4 times a year. And coloured once. I like it growing out :-)
15 I can be quite shy.
16 Before I came out, I thought lesbians lived in Paris and had long cigarette holders and trousers like Katherine Hepburn. Turns out, I was wrong.
17 I am considering learning to spin. Don't tell C. But Mum has a wheel she doesn't want any more.... - gifthorse - mouth - what do you think?
18 I'll be 40 next year. Voddy will be 30 (sorry V).
19 I love to ski, it's the only sport at which I am remotely skilled. Learnt in the Cairngorms, so weather in the Alps holds no fears....
20 I write lists. Then lose them.
21 I am really irritable. Door slamming etc.
22 I can waste time fabulously well. Gold medal level.
23 the closest person to me to have died (so far) is my grandmother; she was 2 weeks off 90, and waited till I had just got to Australia. She did warn me she wasn't going all out to hang around, didn't enjoy not being able to do 12 mile walks. I loved her, we fought lots and cried and kissed lots, too.
24 I've just discovered making mayonnaise (and similar bearnaise etc) is easy and DELICIOUS.
25 I used to prefer knitting with cotton (weird?) as wool put my fingers on edge. Now I like all sorts, but definitely high end!
26 I still haven't given my goddaughter her Christmas present.
27 I never want to be a mother, but I love having other people's kids in my life.
28 We got our partnership registered very quietly last month, but in 2001 had a fantabulous 'Thing' where we made promises to each other infront of family and friends. And our parents organised it together and funded it for us. How lucky are we?
29 I like the concept of all matching beautiful underwear, but can't quite be bothered to be that organised. Though I do have some beautiful Agent Provocateur bras, can't bring myself to spend the dosh on the knickers!
30 I love beautiful shoes, but when it comes down to it, the ones I actually wear come down to comfort all the way.....

last weekend

So, C, Voddy and I had an excellent time last weekend getting slightly burnt in Cornwall with their Mum and Dad (as I've said before, their birthdays and Wedding Anniversary). We all drove down together, had a wonderful French picnic on the Beach at Bude (Crooklets Beach) then shot bows and arrows up on the headland, looking out at the blu, blue sea,a nd trying to avoid taking out walkers. Fun!

This is C about to shoot - she's a lefty, it's not transposed.

We then drove on to the secret location, near Padstow, for the main part of the parental surprise. We drove up to the gates and saw a beautiful old grey stone rectory (here ->) with a lovely lawn etc. The bedrooms while not my taste were very beautiful - and comfortable, well decorated and thought out. There was a cafetiere with 2 types of coffee, several teas, hot chocolate. but none of this required - the owners came to our doors with glasses of Camel Valley sparkling (which was delicious) and home-made chocolates, one chocoalet ganache and one passionfruit, and both excellent.

We all chilled before dinner, which took us from 8.30 to 11.30 to eat. Quite sublime. There are 2 tasting menus (which will take into account allergies etc they are warned of, I am told they have previously done vegan versions too), one at £45 and one at £65. C, her Dad and I had the more expensive one - asparagus, smoked mayonnaise and a fried quail's egg; divine lobster risotto (with big pieces of fantastic lobster), apparently flavoured with orange and basil, and topped with a lobster bisque froth; turbot on a chicory tart with grapefruit and pistachio (subtle!); then perfectly cooked lamb on cornish earlies (spuds) and artichoke, with olives and tarragon (worked so well together I couldn't have separated out each flavour, but it tasted marvellously simple); Passionfruit curd with natural yoghurt ice cream (a perfect palate cleanser); then a bitter chocolate pudding, with an espresso wafer and malted milk ice cream, and a trickle of syrup flavoured with crushed coffee beans around it. Generally, perfection, we all felt one of (if not the) best meals we'd had, ever, and we all love food. While we were all too full to have cheese or petits fours, each dish was delicate, so the whoe was not overwhelming in flavours or volume. Mmmmm. reccommend!

****blogger tells me it has uploaded pics of the pudding, but he lies!****

Received with joy

So, my parcel from the lovely Devorah arrived on Monday - I tore it open in excitement, which was a good move! First, out came a beautiful rosy scarf ; then Ms sheep and a sweater.








But the big ta-dah!!!! is for the yarn - beautifully woody for me, self striping, and generally calling to me!

Fun weekend - sorry no pics yet

I don't seem to manage very frequent blogging, made more difficult by the fact that I'm pretty sure no-one's reading this, and that's compounded by the fact that I find it difficult to acknowledge it in comments etc on others' blogs as I'm not very impressed by it myself.

Still.

C was on nights over the weekend, so I went down to visit my bro and his family. He has a 3 1/2 year old delight, A, who woke me (and the whole house) on Monday morning by standing just outside her room and yelling 'Tantie' (which is her name for me) at the top of her lungs. We ended up watching Robin Hood (Disney) after trying reading, breakfast etc, before J and S got up with 7 month old B. They are both a delight. But I'm SURE I'm not having any! (And no, I won't have a contraceptive error, C is a woman, so I'm pretty safe from that!)

Sunday was spent at the Hertfordshire show, which was fun, watching A bounce on trampolines and throw herself down slides with abandon; J, S and I tried some fantastic wines, and I bought a bottle of Chenas which it seems is a wine a little like a fleurie, a light bright Beaujolais.

This is for the mystery weekend C, her sister Voddy and I are taking their parents on nextw eekend. They are both 60 this year, and also celebratin their 35th wedding anniversary. they have a great big party arranged for later in June, where hopefully C will amaze everyone with her fire poi demo, and many people will become very very drunk. (I am much more used to them now, but when C and I first got together the amazing party drinking was quite a challenge for me, in the sense of having to avoid falling over. Specially as Pa-out-law mixes a fabulous martini, a drink I am particularly partial to.

Anyway, next weekend - we had planned to take them to the Fat Duck, Heston Blumenthal's restaurant in Bucks, voted one of the 2 best in the world, but sadly a tiny place with many people wishing to eat there and a complex system in place. Voddy spent much time on the phone, but they couldn't fit 5 of us (could have done 4) in on either of the weekends we could go. Tant pis.

Instead, we are going to saty at the Michelin-starred St Ervan Manor, near Padstow in Corneywall, a traditional haunt of my outlaws. (Must stop calling them that, since C and I have now done the whole partnership registration thing, and thus should be inlaws. I like the other better!) We plan to have the tasting menus, and they say they can fit around nut allergy (Voddy) and crab allergy (her Mum). Can't wait!

During the day on Saturday we have surprise archery planned (!?!) and a posh picnic........which is where I came in with the Chenas! I hope everyone will enjoy it with their bread, cheese and terrines followed by apricot tart, all from our local French patisserie.

Whoever said Birmingham isn't cosmopolitan?

WIPs - or, all that's buzzing in my head

So, do you ever wake up early with AMAZING ideas for knitting in your head? And find yourself getting up and starting yet another project? No? Just me then.

WIPs I have vary dramatically in stage. Nearest completion is the Polar 'ski' jumper (Rowan pattern adapted to have a labrys pattern instead of a snowflakey-thing, and knit in the round from the bottom up - well it is a raglan, no?) - just needs the pits sewing up and the ends sewn in. But doesn't suit me (shapeless) so will wait a l o n g time, I suspect. Sorry pic is sideways!

Oh no, nearest completion is the jaywalker socks in celestial merino - done, worn, but haven't woven in the end at the cuff (did them toe up). Do other people find them a great fit on but a fight to get on?

Further from completion is the adapted "Joe" sweater from House of Hemp - I plan to use short rows to fit bust and hips better, make it more flared like Hanne Falkenberg's Mermaid. Can you see the tiny tension swatch I've done (top left)? That's where i've got to so far...

Lots more WIPs, will bring them to you gradually, better get to work now.

What's that growing in the tree?

I spent the weekend with Voddy, having more koolaid dye fun now I know who my Dye-o-rama buddy is. She lives somewhere hotter than I do, and also likes intense colours, but NOT green!

So what did we start with - a green/yellow yarn! We found that one of the colours we had made a beautiful deep sagey green, so decided we wanted to make something really autumnal. We did this one with the stovetop method, like the blues and reds of the time before, and it REALLY looked likespinach and plan spaghetti. Mmmm, hungry.

We then tried to do a random splotchy self stripey sort of thing, with a bit wrapped in navy tissue paper, grape , watermelon and cherry koolaid sections. We wrapped it in clingfilm and steamed it for AGES! Here it is in the (out of control) garden with another one in the same colours (aside form the tissue paper) done on the stovetop, and destined for my dye-o-rama mystery buddy (after much deliberation between the two).

I'll show the differences: 1st, the stove-top skein





Then, the cling-film steamed skein 's differences - it has these lovely little splotchy purplish blue areas. However, it also has white bits, and looks definitely a bit more 'experimental' and less deep and saturated in colour - hence the decision to send the other to warmer climes.

Oh, and the greeny skein? Mostly yellow, but lovely!

So, as soon as I had signed up for Dye-o-rama I was off to Wales, to stay in the black and white half timber house, BB, where I have stayed for working (re-roofing etc etc) holidays since I was a baby. And I had Opal undyed sock yarn! And a selection of Koolaid!

I started on the stove - this has ice blue raspbeery, arctic green apple and some others chucked in, and was my first adventure.

My next was to knit a couple of rows (64 stitches, 2mm DPNs) to check out how much yarn for a row. I took that skein and passed it round a chair in the kitchen, through the lobby by the front door, and into the middle room (where C was engrossed in the ImpossiPuzzle) and round a doorknob - 5 or 6 row's-worth of yarn per circuit. I ttied it off, and then spread the yarn
out like the outline of a 3 leafed clover, without the stem (I drew it but couldn't upload, sorry). I wanted red, orange and yellow, and would have got it, but was misled by the picture on the ?Tamarillo packet to think it'd go well with the orange - so I have red, yellow and brown. Anyway, I wrapped it all in clingfilm and bunged it in the microwave. Did it several times for 5 minutes each, and rinsed. By this time the house stank of jelly/sweeties/yuck - and the colours! Do you Americans really put this stuff inside you?

Drying yarn in this house with no heating, in April (chilly) in Wales (damp) was a challenge - but there was success! Started in front of the open fire,then in the morning outside on a windy lawn. Next installment... further dyeing this weekend at homw, and I have the yarn for my pal!

Welcome to crafty cocktail

Ginny (on your left) and Voddy (on your right) agreed that it would be appropriate just this once to show images of our true selves. We would like to remind readers that any future photographic likenesses may not be true representations.

Between cocktails Ginny is rather natty with the knitting needles and Voddy is a dab hand with the sewing machine. Both enjoy a flirtation with other textile crafts and will be publishing for your delight and delectation some of our most (and least) successful experiments.