I am pretty sure that I learnt to count to six quite quickly in life. I can remember counting to five and then using the thumb of my left hand to aid me in my counting to six and then quickly mastered counting to ten. And after the terrible eleven and twelve and being able to remember which way around they came the rest came pretty quickly.

I never thought this would ever be a problem again, how wrong I was.

This morning I was near the end of a shawl. I haven’t counted the stitches but it takes a jolly good while to knit a row. There is a saving grace in this pattern that half way it is obvious whether you are correct in your counting, and on this row I wasn’t correct. At once there was a slight feeling of dread. You see I had been gaily knitting my shawl from nine until one in the morning. I’d occupied my knitting time with a soppy film called Hachi, which had the bonus of Richard Gere, a gorgeous dog and was based on a true story and there were many tears from me, (I’m a real gusher when watching a soppy film) and then I happened to click on another film, again based on a true story Miss Marie Lloyd – Queen of the Music Hall. So I was concerned that I had dropped a stitch whilst gaily joining in the singing of ‘My old man said follow the van.’

And as knitters we know that we should stop knitting before we get tired. But the pattern was easy, the company was great – even if it was only the T.V. and I was enjoying myself. And I had stopped just before the next tricky row. So I was feeling pleased with myself, lots of quality knitting time that I had enjoyed immensely.

Fast forward to this morning when I next picked up my shawl. And started on the tricky row which involves counting to six. At the half way point I realised there was an error, I was one stitch out. And as I say the feeling of dread came over me. Had I made a mistake during the previous evening? So, I counted the sixes, backwards and forwards over the row. I counted them several times, then I switched on my side light next to my chair and counted them a couple of times again. I carefully stretched out that half, a section at a time to see if I had dropped a stitch. I looked again to see where the pattern changed that showed the error, and thought I could identify it where it had, but couldn’t find the error in that area.

I stopped for lunch, deeply frustrated.

I came back from lunch and started the whole process again, the counting of sixes and the looking for a dropped stitch. I considered botching it and actually picking up an extra stitch!, but I am just not that kind of girl. So after another three quarters of an hour I decide to tink back that half row and whilst I am doing it I count the sixes, and as I am tinking back everything is how it should be and they are perfect sixes every single time. Eventually I am at the start of the row. I have found no error in my maths and I cannot see a dropped stitch, the yarn fumes seem heavy at this point, they have me ensnared in their power but if I could have grabbed hold of a yarn sprite at this point, I would have given them a severe telling off.

I pause, I drink tea. I wonder what to do.

I check for any dropped stitches again to no avail and reconsider adding a stitch and botching it, but again I am not that kind of knitter.

And then in the end I decide there is only one thing to do. Before I frog a whole section of lace which will be tricky because I have no life lines in place. Just one stitch can make you this crazy.

I decide to knit the same section again. Now there is no reason for this, I have proved to myself several times that my counting to six is correct, that if I knit it again it will have exactly the same result. But if I don’t do it, if I haven’t followed every possible action to find a solution and when I am picking up the hundreds of stitches from frogging it, it will give my mind plenty of time to jab me with a sharp and pointy stick that maybe I should have tried, just tried to reknit it.

Okay, I breath deeply and knit the row again, counting carefully..

And this time, its absolutely perfect, the row is how it should be.

Why? I have no idea, although I can hear the yarn sprites laughing!

And then I find that I am very lucky indeed to live in such a technological age, because no one in my household will truly understand the lost three hours and the complex ways that I tried to find a solution, apart from my knitting friends, some of which I will never meet, but am lucky to know and share this story with.

And that is what I learnt today, I am truly blessed being able to meet like minded knitters so easily, that and I can’t count to six.

The time has come that we need to look at replacing our windows. For two reasons really, we have steel window frames which have a wooden surround which on most windows is screaming to be replaced as they are rotten. But also because of the nature of single glazed steel windows, the mold collects very rapidly and one wonders whether that didn’t help the two bouts of pneumonia I suffered last winter and the one my husband did.

So, three major double glazing companies later… and one to follow tomorrow. (this is not my idea of fun on how to spend a weeks holiday with one’s hubby)

Its seems extremely difficult to say to these chaps these things.

1. Please don’t ring your boss for the discount, just give us your best price first time.

2. If I say I have an appointment, I don’t expect you to dilly dally and tell me all the benefits I will get by becoming a showhome, (really have you seen the state of the drive and the garden?!) and the credit agreement with a bank I’ve never heard of, and yes you will be kicked out after 1 3/4 hours because I will make that appointment.

3. Please don’t deny that it is a spiel. I am far to long in the tooth as is my hubby that we simply recognise a salespersons techniques.

4. Why? If we take credit, is it cheaper by several thousand pounds rather than paying by cash. (I really don’t understand that one)

There was only one thing for it, I’ve taken to knitting whilst they talk. Well it was that or gin!

To be honest they have been really nice blokes, (in the same way that politicians are when looking for your vote, although the first one was a bit too sleazy) but they just don’t seem to understand that I just want a quote, and a look at your product and it will go into the pot with the others and then we will make a decision. And if you can drop the price by ‘several thousand of our english pounds’ with one phone call, somehow you loose your credibility.

Its double glazing, not rocket science. – although they would beg to differ. All three so far have said that they are the largest double glazing firm in the country.. yawn.

Has anyone got similar experiences? Did you or your friends ever find a company that they were happy with both the quality and financially.

First of all I will show you all the pretty pictures that I took earlier in the day of mum’s shawl.

I took the shawl around to Mum and she loves it. I am so pleased.

And now to wonder about the blocking curse I and my son seem to have brought upon us. You see the last time I used his bed to block an item, just as soon as I had my beautiful cardigan laid out to how I wanted it, and my hubby and I were just about to settle ourselves into some very high end theatre seats my mobile rang to say my son needed to come home. Sadly he and his girlfriend had parted and we picked up a rather wet rag of a son at something silly o’clock from the train station.

Fast forward 18 months, son no.1 decides to go on holiday with a college friend. “Ha, ha” says his mother, “I can use his bed to block the shawl on, surely the same thing cannot happen twice” Seriously I actually thought about it.

And after a very disturbed night last night involving dreams of train stations and not being able to find my way into Birmingham New Street and weird dreams about a dilated pupil and black eye…. My son rings me shortly after nine, very upset, saying he wants to come home, he had fallen out with his friend last night, who had grabbed my son by the throat and punched him with full force in the face. Why? Because the girl who was prettier out of the two that they had got chatting to, was quite taken with my son and his friend had decided that she was his. (I don’t know I don’t understand male testosterone at the best of times) Suffice it to say that my son did not throw any punches and packed his bags that night.

We sorted him out (although I am still quite emotional about it all) and picked him up from Birmingham New Street and yes he does have a black eye. Although his eyesight does look normal, I shall get him to go to the opticians tomorrow for a checkup.

There is a blocking curse on that bed… And I have no idea how to break it!

the she cat will play!

My eldest boy has gone off on his travels to Devon for the week, and obligingly stripped his bed. Apart from missing him terribly (and if you’ll believe that you’ll believe anything!) a plan slowly formed in my mind.

I gathered together my blocking wires and my crumbled and rather wet scraggy piece of knitting and entered his room. And paused. Of course he hadn’t tidied his bedroom so it was a little like playing a game of islands, lakes and crocodiles my sister and I used to play as I made my way to his bed. Fortunately I was quite good at that game and managed to arrive without a twisted ankle. (must have words with son about crockery and glasses, dirty washing and oh that’s where most of my towels are!)

I started to lay out the rather crumpled rag that was before me. It took a while but slowly, it came into shape. And soon, I had a rather beautiful garment before me that looked rather like,

a beautiful moth. (the photography is not how I would wish – the colours are more vibrant in true life)

A moth with dusty greens, greys, limes and purples which even though you may be a yarn stasher you cannot but admire the beauty of such a delicately winged creature of the night.

I’ve rather enjoyed this pattern which was Multnomah by Kate Flagg and the reason it is knitted is that I started a pair of socks but decided that the sock yarn – Sheeppaints Sock’n Go in Tulip- was far too pretty to be hidden by shoes.

and although it was meant for Christmas.. I may have to give it earlier, because my mother is a moth in human form. She may be in her mid seventies but on nights out when abroad, my folks go out at ten and come home at two! And looking at the photographs that various people publish on facebook! she always looks as pretty as the most delicate of moths or butterflies. And I am hoping this rather pretty shawl may keep the chill off as they walk back to their apartment.

I have no idea where there stamina comes from, one can only guess that it was from raising five children whilst working hard.

And about that boy, I do miss him, I may ring him for the second time shortly.

We woke up relatively early today and trundled along to the Festival of Quilts at the NEC, which we are very lucky to live just a short drive away from. I have never been to this festival before so I was just a little bit giddy about seeing one thousand quilts.. or so the chap who took our tickets told us so.

I headed for the shopping first, after saying farewell to hubby whilst he enjoyed coffee, (he will take me anywhere if there is good coffee) I don’t have any photographs of my purchases, its a little bit dark as I type this, but I did buy a rather nice flannel quilt kit, which is so soft and pretty and in colours I love.

A little while later I picked up hubby and we wandered around the quilts, so many, so much to choose from.

The winner from the traditional quilts was Pauline Ineson.

I will show you just one of her squares (not least because I don’t think its completely fair for others to copy)
and this one is spectacular.

the whole quilt was just stunning.

Personally I love traditional quilts, I am no artist but there were a few quilts in the artistic section that really caught my eye.

Not least because we had obviously left a window open this morning,

Winston, what are you doing here, fly home immediately.

Then there was a lovely jazz band to sooth our tired feet.

It was the colours and movement that caught me standing stock still, whilst gawping at this piece of work. Absolutely stunning.

Next this completely caught my eye. Such a simple but complicated piece, I am not an artist or artist reviewer but I think this piece should be in the Tate. I cannot even try to express the words how I feel about it, everything in harmony which managed to construct individual clothes pegs, it wasn’t muddy at all, extremely clear and all with delicate shades of material.. Stunning.

A close up, even in close up with a flash it still looks spectacular.

I came home via Mother as I’d bought her a couple of balls of yarn that she has recently taken a fancy to.

And lo, my twin nieces were visiting.

They had made this scarecrow in a recent visit, I’d like to be able to say her name but on three counts it was different. Those with an astute eye will notice the scarfs that the girls have knitted for their bears after having taken a lesson from me some months ago. They both say they like knitting – a quiet hurrah could be heard from the knitting elves.

Then son no.1 came and picked me up. I think he was mortified when I asked him to put his arms around the girls, although they giggled immensely.

And then Dad came to inspect the furor that was going on, so I took a quick snap of him.

Such a lovely day, so few and far between.

Son no.2 had his A level results on Thursday, they were not as one had hoped but even so he has managed to secure a place for a foundation year in a University of his choice on Mechanical Engineering. We are very pleased, especially after the news last night where they told us that there are 150 thousand students who did not manage to get a University place this year. All I have ever wanted in my life is to bring up our boys as decent honest men along with that they are capable of finding a career which they will be happy in and are then able to support themselves and possibly a family.

To say we as a family were rather stressed in the build up is an understatement. And then the day before hubby had a car accident, he’s okay but its written off our beloved Mercedes, which was a lovely car. The chap was a ‘scrap metal dealer’ in a white truck who rather abruptly put his vehicle into reverse and rammed it into hubby’s car. We have since found out that the registration was for a Reliant Robin (if anyone remembers those) and the police are very interested in this.

So I am still waiting to go to the quilt show which I bought tickets for, son no.2 is pestering for me to finish his quilt.. which is a complete about turn because he did become just a little bit sniffy about it at one stage.

And me, well I have cast on something soothing.. I promise I will sew next week.

I’ve had such a lovely afternoon, it was such a treat I will do my best to tell you all about it.

Many moons ago a certain person had me on tenterhooks at our monthly Saturday quilting class when she asked me what I had mumbled about (you see as a woman I had picked up the clues) in a last email to her. And I said, “well I can’t say can I?” and she gave me a smile that said I could and then there was a nudge and then a very broad grin at which point my eyes widened and almost popped out of my eyes and I then said.. “Well, are you?” and I think there might have been a little giggle and a snort from her, and I really can’t remember how she said she was with child. At that point I probably gave her the biggest hug she’s ever had from a female friend and tears literally spurted from my eyes. I was so happy for her, words cannot express the joy that I felt.

Well between you and me, (and the rest of the blogging world) I knew baby making was on the cards and some time earlier I had come across the most perfect of patterns and after much searching I had come across the perfect yarn in the most beautiful of colours for her. (we have knitted and sewn together for long enough to know the colours each of us are attracted to) When I picked up this pack of yarn months before this event whilst hubby was in tow, he had inquired as to why I was buying this and I explained it was for my friend and for what pattern and for why, he had exclaimed, ” but she’s not pregnant yet?” and I replied something along the lines, “my friend will have her baby”

So on this wonderful news I went home and cast on, giddy with excitement. Time went on as it does and slowly her tummy grew, as did my knitting. I was bursting to tell her what I was knitting, but I managed to keep myself to myself, it was tricky.

Then one day, a letter for me came through the post with a beautiful invitation in it, a personally printed card no less, like you have at weddings, and along with that when I opened the envelope there was a beautiful shower of butterflies cascading and dancing as they fell which was to invite me to her baby shower. I knit a little faster.

A baby shower, I’ve never been to a baby shower but I’ve always wanted to be invited to one. I carried on with baby knitting, it was wonderful to knit for a baby, I have really enjoyed it.

Today was the day, I met another knitter I know called Mary and we entered together. There was fun and laughter and games, and I thank Mary because without her knowledge of current people, (she is much younger than I and more knowledgeable) I was completely lost and gone on the game which was naming famous babies. She scored 8 which was a very respectable score, me, I would have scored 0. I laugh, I don’t mind, when my friends were interested in the current pop groups/film stars, I liked Cliff Richard, its probably why I married an older man.

Before that was the opening of presents, which was most entertaining especially when there was almost a full rendition of The Hungry Caterpillar, which I completely enjoyed as it was one of my boys favourite books, who knew that that book was forty years old, along with some beautiful bibs which quickly turned into how bibs often turn orange, mainly through carrot puree. (I may have started that conversation!) and then there was lots of other lovely, lovely presents.

And then I wish I’d taken my camera, because for Mary and I, (the only knitters in the group) we had chosen to knit the very same pattern for Baby Bear’s cardigan. Fortunately we had put our own little twist into the project, I loved how Mary had changed the thread to match the yarn for each button, fortunately we had not chosen the same yarn so Mary’s (whose colours I absolutely adored) was bigger than mine, I think mine might make the first week or so’s outfit of choice, Mary’s will be perfect come a few weeks later when Baby Bear needs a little warmth come the Autumn.

Unfortunately I didn’t take my camera so you only have a quick piccie of mine.

And then because I really wanted my friend to have a baby blanket, I made her this,

It is Apple Tree Baby blanket, made with Rowan RYC Cashsoft Baby DK in colourway Imp (which was such a wonderful name)

There was gorgeous food, home baked cakes and scones with gorgeous Devon clotted cream, it has been a long time since I’ve had that, savouries, wine, extremely nice conversation, it was lovely to meet both grandmothers to be, they seem tickled pink, more cake, we knew there would be cake, and.. which has tickled me the most, a going away present.

There was much laughter about being given a going away present, I said I would open mine in the car. And I did, but then was flummoxed! What on earth was the liquid… Was it gin, that couldn’t be possible it wasn’t that sort of party, was it a sugary syrup that we should drink, I am sure that would be almost illegal and they were mostly lawyers…. and then I opened it… and it was bubbles…

That was such a surprise it made me giggle like nothing on earth.

Thank you so much.

p.s I have had to hold onto the jelly babies, they were almost napped whilst writing this blog post, I shall share with hubby later. What good fun it has been.

Sue from Quilt Times

“/>Is having a Christmas quilt along which starts today. The idea is to have one day a month, normally the second Saturday but feel free to choose a day that suits you on which you concentrate on your Christmas sewing. Hopefully, depending on who reads your blog you will be able to tell others about what you are making. It also will bring Christmas into focus, which for me is a good thing, as I often leave it on the sidelines until its much too late.

And it will be lovely to plan a day of sewing where meals are ready and have been prepared the day before, or it may be a day when most of the offspring or partner are out, or maybe the pizza delivery is on speed dial.

I’ve posted the linky so that you can see some of the other bloggers that are taking part and apparently Sue is giving out prizes as well.

Happy Sewing.

Boo Hiss to the weather.

I was up several times in the night, and it was cloudy, cloudy and cloudy.

And now at 7.30 in the morning it is bright blue with barely a cloud in the sky.

I shall try again this evening, you should still be able to see the shooting stars until Sunday.

Perseids is in fine form this year not least as we have a new moon this week which will mean there will be no light pollution from the moon which often spoils the show.

The show will peak on Thursday night/Friday morning and up to 100 meteors an hour are predicted, with the highest numbers being seen in the early hours of Friday morning.

Personally I love this show, it makes me tingle, its just so pretty.

So you need a big blanket and cushions on the ground to lie on, with a flask of hot chocolate or a cool glass of fizz (depending on the temperature) and maybe just a little bit of chocolate to while away an hour or two before bed.