Not an Aberation

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I really am blogging about knitting.  
Apologies for the long silence, I have been knitting, some might say avidly, I would just say daily, but what I haven’t been doing is photographing.  Because, well, that would mean I would have to update my Ravelry account and find all sorts of information out to tell you, which is lovely, but not as cozy as knitting in front of the fire – the study can be rather cold as it doesn’t have a radiator in it. 
The cold snap has broken, so here I am. 
Firstly I picked up a cracking bargain in the sales, Rowan Kid Classic in pink for 50p a ball.  No that wasn’t a misprint, 50p a ball.  (I have to keep saying it to myself because I can’t quite believe it) Now I have never really worn pink, but at that price I am willing to give it a go and then thought about the summer and how lovely the flowery colours can look in the brighter light and thought Hey Teach might fit the bill. So I have been knitting this most evenings.  

When Kid Silk Haze Stripe was released by Rowan I fell under the spell of Twighlight 200 and knit it up with the pattern Petit Trous de Printemps 

 It reminds me of Autumn Fog laying gently on wild thyme and purple heathers, it is very, very pretty,

 and as you may know Kid Silk Haze is the crack cocaine of the knitting world.  Myself, well I have a love hate relationship with it.  I swear quite profusely at times whilst knitting with it, but then fall under its spell as it grows from my endeavours.   And once completed, I can forgive it almost anything.

 Then there were socks, these were Regia Flusi Das Socken Monster in 1800 for me,

 and socks for my little monster, son no.2 in Regia Flusi Das Socken Monster in 1805

 Hubby was lucky enough to find these at the bottom of his Christmas stocking, Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball 2083 (very splity not in love with the yarn, but very in love with the finished item)

 and Zweger Garn Opal Handwerk Und Hobby in Gardner 5043 which suits the allotmenteer in him.

and all together. 

There are other socks that I have started and not completed, and a hat that I am sure I have knit, but have since misplaced in the house.  There may be another photography session in the not too distant future, but rest assured, Mandycharlie continues to knit and sew.  This afternoon I have to continue with my task to recover the cushions which make up Mum’s conservatory suite – I am half way!

Day 1 of trying something new for 30 days.

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Our sons have been talking about TED for the last year or so.  I have dipped in and out and often find the talks inspirational and fascinating and if I come across one that doesn’t float my boat, its only a few minutes out of my life before it is finished.

Recently thinking about my new years resolutions and having joined Weight Watchers, which is working (YAY) I knew the time had come to up my exercise.  I started with the Wii and I love the dance DVD’s, they are great fun, however the Zumba DVD frightens me senseless and I simply can’t keep up with it.  It was good and I was exercising and stretching out etc, But, I was still on my own and keeping yourself motivated can be very challenging.
Lately I have been listening to TED late at night, lying flat on my back in bed with hubby, whilst he snores I try not to giggle, when I came across this posting. Try something new for 30 days  and I found it very amusing and enlightening, it made a lot of sense.
Now I can put things off for all eternity, I can make excuses up as to why I shouldn’t do something.  For instance, I am too fat, I’m bald, it hurts to do these things, everyone’s looking at me, etc, etc.  But after watching this clip, I thought this guy has something, 30 days, if you don’t like it, don’t do it after that.  But for those 30 days, just go for it.  
So today, I joined the local gym for woman, you might have heard of it Curves, .  I had my induction today and then did a circuit for the fun of it, and then walked home.  (I had already walked there)  It was great fun, although I may have had to have an afternoon kip as my old carcass feels the strain these days. 
29 days to go. 

Wow!

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Look at what arrived today as a thank you to me for knitting a pairs socks. They are amazing!

The previous photo’s were snapped with my iPhone, I thought I would add these piccies if nothing else just for my own pleasure. 

Venus and Jupiter

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The sky at night is very exciting at the moment.  I managed to capture Venus and Jupiter either side of the Moon on my little camera two nights ago.  We looked for Mercury too, but we were too late as Mercury must have tipped over the horizon.  I was that excited I rang my Dad to tell him what was going on. 
Lots to look out for this month, some good information Here and Here

Valentine Roses

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Hubby gave me some beautiful roses on Valentines as well as whisking me off to dinner, where I was given another deliciously long stemmed red rose.  I thought it would be fun to photograph them as they gently bloomed to show all of their glory.  The roses have only just gone over. 

And the man himself, fast asleep with Eric. 

At last.

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Shamefully I have to admit to starting this project in August 2009.  I had been knitting about eighteen months by then and although I had knit up a fair few socks, I had only knitted up a couple of adult sized garments. Though I had managed to finish them with some degree of competency, my confidence deserted me with this garment.  I really wanted it to be special not least because the yarn was very beautiful and I loved the pattern.  This is Surface by Norah Gaughan published for free in Knitty, Winter 2008 and the yarn is Toft Alpaca DK in brown which I had splurged on at The Royal Show.  I can still remember the giddy feeling I had as I walked away from Toft’s mobile shop, deliriously happy with my new found yarn, or was that the 1/2 pint of dry cider that I’d consumed with lunch!
This year I am finishing up garments that have been started and cast to one side for whatever reason, or they are to be frogged.  This is the most glamorous, the rest are socks, gloves etc, that are started and then casually cast to one side in favour of another project that I simply have to start. 
Today, we tootled off to Hanbury Hall which was very pretty, but oh so cold. But like a true professional, I cast aside my heavy outdoors coat, hat and very thick scarf to show you all my newly completed Surface.  I finished it on Valentines day and hubby was so pleased with the way I looked in it that he took me out to dinner. (must remember that little trick!) 

 Trying not to feel the cold.

 Hanbury Hall looking very pretty.

I love the depth of colours in this yarn.  It is not dyed, it comes straight from the Alpaca and if you look carefully at the yarn you see rusts and golds interwoven with browns and reds and blacks and the odd fleck of white hair that has gotten into the mix.  I love it, it is just so me.

The black hole called Bobbles.

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First of all lets talk about the boy, this is how we see him most days whilst he is walking from room to room, apparently Eric quite likes it and is often half asleep whilst he is carted up or down the stairs.  The boy adores the cats and needs to cuddle one most of the time.  We saw the specialist last week and his fatty liver is slightly improved, looks like it might be a long job.  But it is improved no matter how slightly, the boy has improved his diet and is walking an hour a day behind the Castle and beyond!  So it is all good. 

I made a pair of Fetchings (free pattern on Ravelry) and a matching hat for a special lady’s 80th birthday

my Mum loves this pattern because they seem to keep her fingers warm and she doesn’t have to take off her gloves to get money out of her purse.  So I hoped they might be a suitable choice for a birthday present.

and I also made prawn vol au vents as my dish to take to her party, there was some really nice food there, a great time was had by all.

I made a pair of socks for a local lady copper (police woman) who has been nicking her husbands socks (that I had made) because they were so warm and cosy.  I thought I had better make her a pair before she gets into trouble with the law.  Apparently she just loves how they fit in her boots and the way that they keep her toes toasty warm.

I am nearly at the end of my cardigan that I started a couple of years ago. *cough*

and have been bobbling at all times of the day and night.

No matter how much time I spend bobbling I don’t seem to get any closer to the end.  I am on my last push for the next few days.  It is completely driving me bonkers that I can’t get this cardigan on my back and everything else has been left to one side, until this is finished.  

Normal service will be resumed, just as soon as I have finished the bobbles.

Liv in action.

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First of all I must apologise for not writing sooner, it has just been a combination of being busy and because of that feeling shattered.  Unfortunately I always pay one way or the other but it has been worth it.  So thank you for all of those emails and private messages on Ravelry enquiring as to our health, we are okay.  Son no.2 will be back to see the specialists about his fatty liver soon and my doctors are slightly concerned about ‘stuff’ but we are okay.

So what has been happening?

My dad has had his birthday, so I took Mum and Dad and the boy out for a meal.  I think there was a mini competition of the impressive beards.

We had our wedding anniversary which was lovely.  And decided to as in way of celebration have a mini break in London.

We went to see the David Hockney exhibition at the Royal Academy.  It was amazing!  We became members of the RA, as we are desperate to come back to see it again along with other galleries and exhibitions on show that we never seem to get to.  Mainly through exhaustion you understand. 
I showcased Liv throughout my visit to London and it seemed to be going down a storm.  For those that don’t know, this was the piece of knitting that was carted around with me whilst son no.2 was very poorly recently.  It kept me sane in what had become a world filled with pain and anxiety and one where all I could do was cry, in-between comforting our son. A sock wouldn’t have had the same comforting effect but this, when I knitted, stitch by comforting aran weight stitch was to me a god send.  And I am most glad that I started it the week it all went wrong and only later realised that the pattern was called Liv, (my photocopy which I made from the original book didn’t have the title on, it was only later when I checked the book I realised)  which was when we were two weeks in and it had become very serious.  Of course that made me cry even more, but it also gave me hope, that somebody up there was doing strange things and sending me a message of hope.  That and that there were many, many people, world wide, many with pointy needles that were praying for my boy by this point.  I still weep at the thought of that and am so very grateful. 
Liv was designed by Martin Storey and I made it with Rowan Scottish Tweed in Aran in colour way Lewis Blue.  I haven’t weighed it yet so I can’t tell you how many balls I used. 
Back to the trip.  (I am keeping this brief because I need to get to bed!)
We went to the British Museum, I’d never been before. 
I like it when buildings make me look small. 
There was a very scary cat. 
And I loved this ceiling and feeling of space in the museum. 
I would have gone to see this building just for this. 
And a chap playing a harp very beautifully in the underground. 
And we did lots more, notably seeing Quentin Blake’s illustrations at The Foundling.  Don’t forget to look out for there free app. 

Dishcloths.

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Years ago, (many, many years ago) my nan used to knit her own dishcloths. They were sturdy and used to last for ages, not like the flimsy things we have these days. I saw some dishcloth yarn in Birmingham market last year and cast on, but must have been side tracked by something knitterly and put it down. I found this started project the other day and have enjoyed knitting these cloths in the late evening when all I want is to settle down with something soothing.

It will be interesting to see how they last. Another thing that tickled me is that the unbleached yarn is very pretty and all the rage and put together with a nice bar of soap from the French market which appears once in a while and tied up with a pretty ribbon it would make an ideal present which is completely on trend.
Even the boys have shown an interest in them and talked about their usefulness compared with the shop bought cloths. I find it very interesting when knitting leads me down a path I least expected – talking about dishcloths with son no.2 could not have been predicted, but I am very amused by it.

Banished.

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It was son no.2’s birthday yesterday and what he decreed would be a perfect birthday present would be to banish us from our home for the ‘whole’ day. He was hoping for us to stay out overnight so that he could have a ‘free one’ as they call it in these parts. Unfortunately we disappointed him on that score, but we realised we would have to make ourselves scarce on the day, so he could relax and have his friends around. Although why they wouldn’t want me around making them pizza and popping in and out of the living room for the odd little chat, I have no idea.

We decided to take this opportunity to visit an art collection that has been calling to us for a while. So we gaily booked inexpensive train tickets to London and decided to do this trip on the cheap, meaning no expensive restaurants for us, just cheese butties, bottled water and a few biscuits. With our passes for the underground in hand, we set forth.
We arrived in Euston and quickly made it to Bond Street via the Northern and Central lines. Where we found we were much too early, so had a quick wander around Selfridges which was quite enjoyable. The meat counter was interesting with some nicely aged beef that made us hungry just looking at it and a full array of game, both feather and fur with which to tickle the taste buds. After half an hour or so of amusing ourselves as we drifted around the store it was time to head off to our intended destination.
Although on the way we saw this wonderful window display from Selfridges made entirely from pans and lids.
Within just a few short minutes we had arrived at
The Wallace Collection, It is currently in an extensive programme of refurbishment so I am unable to bring you the frontage of the building in all its glory. As we entered the building we both gasped and realised we were in for a real treat. I won’t bore you to tears, the website is extensive, but I will leave you with just a few highlights, tiny details on which to ponder.
with five generations of collectors there were treats to the eye at every turn,
and even what would normally be simple details in a room have become highly embellished
with the most exquisite detailing
The Wallace Collection’s stunning courtyard is the glamorous location for Oliver Peyton’s cafe and brasserie de luxe. I have to say the service is impeccable although we only stopped for a quick coffee the speed and attention to detail was noticeable. The menu looks very attractive, to be considered, perhaps, on one of our future jaunts.
This painting was one of my favourites, although there were so many I really don’t think I could have a favourite. The laughing Cavalier by Frans Hals painted in 1624. The amusement in the mans face is quite captivating and it took quite some time before I was able to walk away.
We took five hours of intense viewing before being able to leave, we loved this collection and will be back for more. As we say if its good enough for Michael Winner (he had his evening reception for his wedding here!) its good enough for us.
We had a quick pit stop and ate our cheese butties and then resumed the plan which was a quick trip to the National Portrait Gallery We walked back to Bond Street station and caught the Central and then Northern lines to get to Leicester Square, a few short steps and we were there. We nipped up to the second floor to view the Tudor and Jacobean portraits and then realised it was time for more coffee so stopped for a little rest and I knit a few rows of the sock I was carrying before setting off for the rest of the pre planned jaunt.
So back to Leicester Square and caught the Northern and then Central line to Oxford Circus. Now the cleverer ones amongst you will have noticed that we have just gone back on ourselves, which seems a bit daft, but not once you realise that now
it is dark. Regent street was looking very pretty and was
full of people enjoying the January sales. The atmosphere was wonderful and we gained a second wind. (thank goodness)
Which was just as well, as we were aiming for Liberty. Liberty was enchanting, all lit up like a Christmas tree, it was lovely to see her again, especially in this setting as I have never seen her during the dark or at this time of the year. We quickly entered and I found a comfy seat on which to deposit an exhausted husband whilst I entered the fray of the January sales with renewed vigour. Liberty has so many pretty things that I must come back when I don’t feel quite as tired.

Next we hastened over to
Carnaby Street, viewed as one of the best displays of Christmas lights by Time Out, London. Oversized mistletoe chandeliers with berries that change colour in time with the music. They were fun.
Feeling we could do no more, we headed back to Oxford Circus and took the Victoria Line to Euston.
Our train was waiting for us, so we boarded, and settled happily into our seats.
Later at home, hubby worked out our costs for the day and found that our underground travel, seven trains, four journeys had cost us the princely sum of £7.00 each. I still find the tube incredible, how quickly and easily it is to move around London. Especially with trains coming every couple of minutes and then the price, it is ridiculously cheap.
There may have been a little something, something for me to admire on the train on the way home, after all I am female, I am never too tired to shop. The lovely assistant at Liberty was just marking the Rowan down to half price, there was a cardigans worth of aran felted tweed in a mandycharlie colour, what was a girl to do.
(I am off to scratch one of my new year resolutions off the list, its only day two!, still I did get the exercise in!)