Valentine Cheval

Valentine Cheval
Originally uploaded by loobles2002

Todays knitting.

Me and boats

Not always a good mix...me and boats but add the worlds cutest boy Border Terrier and maybe I see the attraction of messing about on the water a bit more (Capt Johnty is on deck in the photo). So although yesterday was grey and wet we spent a lovely day with Capt Johnty and his folks on their very beautiful yacht. Much fun and laughter, much rain and really good company especially as another friend and her lovely Border boy - Radish - also came for a visit and a stroll. For a day that had a 'boat' in its equation (which normally would spell horror for me) it was a pretty stonking one!

August

Would you hate the person I’ve become?


Would you even know me?

Could you see the child that I was?

Or would you hear my inner voice that calls to you?

Would we stand like strangers without words?

Would the silence all about us start to grow?

Could we find some common ground

Or just feel awkward with each other and then go?



The time that’s passed has changed me beyond measure,

Life has etched it passage on my face,

Trials have warped and bent and wounded me

But the love I held for you never lessens.


I wish that we could have just a moment

Just one, to reach out across the void.

I wish that we had taken time to say the things

That needed to be said that other time.

My anger has lessened now and is faded

That you left me when I still had need of you

Wishing for the past will never change this

But I am still the person that you knew.

Knitting for friends

A while back I made some Frankensocks for a friend. She loved them (phew) so much so she asked me to make her another pair, she said and I quote that my socks were 'heaven for feet', can't ask for a better accolade than that.

I don't mind knitting to order, I do it quite a lot. I have quite a few in a queue at the moment as well as a request to spin some alpaca fibre for a friend - enough with my own projects to keep my fingers busy.

The only downside to this is cost/price. Nine times out of ten I do it for the cost it takes to make, as how can I possibly price my time....per stitch, per hour, per inch? And no-one in their right mind would pay what it costs me in time to make these things. Sometimes I just gift my knitting cos I can and I feel it is good karma to do a random act of kindness now and then, I always hope the recipient will pass the karma on.

I have no problem with this conundrum - how can anyone who does not craft or knit even begin to understand the time a project takes that each and every little 'V' is one hand crafted stitch? They can't and if they could (by being a knitter themselves) then they wouldn't need me.

I have decided though to take on less knitting for others from next year as I want to have the time for my own knitting/crafting and I have some stuff that I want to work on to diversify my crafting.

I love the sock I have finished for my friend and number two is already on the needles. I hope they keep her feet cosy and warm through winter and it is a lovely feeling that my labour has given her something she likes and really seems to appreciate. My love of sock knitting never seems to abate.

Weaving a little happiness

 Hand woven, hand spun merino and silk for me.

Fire and earth affection

I love me a bandwagon so for my Olympic knitting I jumped on the 'Color Affection' shawl one. The pattern by Veera Valimaki is great and easy to follow. I rummaged the stash for fingering weight yarn, got me a 4mm circ and on Friday 3rd August I cast on, nine days later it is washed and blocking. I was concerned with the edges and read all sorts of stuff online and decided to go 50/50 with the yarn overs (just using them on the last two sections). It is big, soft and curvy and I love it. And considering it is all garter stitch it never became a boring knit and was the perfect companion to my all my velodrome/swimming/diving and giddy-up watching.

Books 69 -73

Girl with a Pearl Earring - by Tracy Chevalier
Format - Kindle

This is a re-read of a favourite book. I had to get a download though, which peed me off, as the book was not in the book case with all the others by this author, I had lent it to Ma who thought I didn't want it back and donated it to the WI! Still love this book and I never tire of it. It has great imagery and detail and you can almost believe you are there.

Charlotte - Pride and Prejudice Continues - by Karen Aminadra
Format - Kindle

The story of Charlotte Lucas and Mr Collins after P & P ends. It is clever, entertaining and witty. It doesn't detract from P & P at all and answers questions that I had often pondered (I know P&P& Zombies kind of did too - but this is better). I really enjoyed this and read it in an afternoon because it was light, easy and flowed really well.

Chemical Flowers - by Suzanne Reeves and Ian Woodhead
Format - Kindle

This was offered for one weekend as a free download and came up via a connection on FB. This book is a total departure from my normal reading fair being more of a horroresque novel - but a change is as good as a rest they say. I used to read loads of horror as a teen but haven't ever really re found my love of it. This book, I think, is clever and entertaining and not over grisly - it has a good mix of gore and sex with some well written characters who are never really endearing in anyway but seem real - which I liked. It hasn't drawn me back to the genre but it is worth a read for certain and made a nice change for me.

At Long Odds and Keeping the Peace - both by Hannah Hooton
Format- Kindle

Downloaded one free and paid for the other - loved them. Bit of intrigue, bit of humour, bit of romance and horse racing - total winners in my book. Odds on favourites in fact. Nothing to tax the brain but easy as sipping a perfectly chilled glass of white wine. Nice summer evening reading.

Now weaving

weave 001
Originally uploaded by loobles2002

More spinning

spinnyday 007
Originally uploaded by loobles2002

Been making yarn cakes

spinnyday 011
Originally uploaded by loobles2002

Been spinning

kingfisher yarn 002
Originally uploaded by loobles2002

Never felt more like singing the blehs

I am still here but am in the doldrums at the moment. I am reading, spinning, knitting, crocheting, watching the the Olympics (kinda) and treading water a bit.

Need to get my head around some stuff - blog will take a back seat until I either finish something (unlikely) or re find my missing ooomph!