Pretty delicious

Bought a little treat for me and the boys today.

Almost too pretty to eat....almost.

Mother's Day

My son knows me so well. My recent rediscovered love of crochet has been catered too. The yarn came from The Wool Bar in Worthing which is a lovely and welcoming little yarn shop. The book we found on Amazon.

A couple of weeks back I finished this crochet bag (only started it last summer). The colours are not my usual choice but they work well and feel summery.

I love the flowery buttons on the straps.

The pattern comes from Lucy at Attic 24 it's available for free and is well written with lovely clear photos. The floral buttons are on a separate pattern, which is also free. Her blog is colourful and chatty and if you love crochet then it is a good place to visit.


I am planning to spend the rest of my Saturday deciding which crochet motifs to use from my new book to make a new project.....because I don't have enough of them already.

Stanmer Park

Playing with my camera.

Ukulele

His n hers. I have had Uke envy since Mike got his. So I've been learning on his (making sure I like it - and I do) so today went and purchased a little soprano Uke of my own. Can't stop playing it. It makes me smile.

Raffle Prize

A while back a FB friend asked me to crochet them a raffle prize for our favourite doggy charity. She runs an online raffle and a real life (at a spring meet up) every year to raise funds. I couldn't refuse.

Today it is all finished, washed, blocked and lovely.

The yarn used is Regia 4 ply sock yarn - so it's all washable and I used a 2.5mm hook. The patterns and design comes from this amazing book by Jan Eaton. I cannot praise this book enough. Anyone who loves crochet would adore this book, it is well written with great photos, clear instructions and wonderful colour palette ideas.

I hope whoever wins this. Loves it.

p.s if you want to purchase a ticket - comment and I'll point you in the right direction. They go on sale in early March.

Flash fiction - A Dish Served Cold.

Slowly the tight band around her chest squeezed and squeezed until she thought her heart might implode. She stood up slowly, the room swooped and dipped as she grabbed the back of the chair in front of her, she wanted to remain upright and maintain her dignity in the crowded restaurant. She would not collapse, she wouldn't give him the pleasure of witnessing the physical manifestation of the hurt he had inflicted. She took a long breath and opened her eyes. He'd gone. The chair opposite from her own was empty. He'd not even stayed to see if she was OK. She felt the sweat start to bead on her forehead, the panic was building. Her heart thumped alarmingly.

She moved forward, staggered slightly. She needed a bolt hole now. She spied the ladies room and headed that way. There was only one cubicle, it was empty. She knew her face was flushed and sweaty but still tinged with the grey-green of shock, she just needed time now. Time to put her plan into action. Sitting on the closed lid of the toilet, she pulled her bag onto her lap and started to rummage.

She'd seen this coming a while back, still it was a shock. The missed meals, the long calls on his mobile in the garden, the increase in dry cleaning bills for his shirts. She'd decided on a plan of action should today ever come to pass. It wasn't just the shock that affected her, it was fear and adrenalin. In his horror at her reaction she was sure he hadn't noticed her slip her glass off the table, the glass he'd held as her poured her wine. Both their fingerprints were on it as well as her lipstick. She was also sure that lots of diners had witnessed their interactions and her staggering walk to the ladies.

 Standing up she took the vial from her bag, her hands were shaking. She tipped a few drops from the vial onto some tissue and smeared it around the inside base of the glass, the remaining liquid she gulped down. She wrapped the small plastic vial in the tissue and dropped it into the toilet bowl. Round and around it sped in the following flush and then it was gone. She felt so sick and dizzy, they'd told her she would, it would be quick too, already she felt numb in her feet. Fumbling for her mobile, she found the photo of him, smiling across a table in this restaurant, taken three weeks ago. Her sight blurred and her fingers felt numb. Knees buckling, she sank down on the floor. Her last conscious thought was, if I can't have him, no-one will.

Being spoilt

Pretty good birthday :)

Follow Your Arrow

DSC_0015
Originally uploaded by loobles2002

This was a mystery shawl KAL (knitalong) by Ysolda. I chose clues BABBA. Took 1.25 100g skeins in Eden Cottage Pendle 4ply in colour Teal knit on 4mm needles.
Knitting a clue per week it took 5 weeks to complete, average about 2 days knitting each week. It was cast off last night and is blocking in this photo on Mum's dinning room table.
It's a nice easy knit and makes a pretty shawl.

A wonderful surprise

Joined a little swap with my Knitty friends via FB and today I got my wonderful parcel from Alice aka Florapie. The idea was to send from our stashes - she sent me some lovely lace weight yarn with a pattern suited to it. Beads and the right sized crochet hook to apply them, stitch markers, a little llama pouch, some tea (which is delicious) and a very nice card/note.

I'd been having a really shit day - this made me feel so much better when I got home.

Knitters are the best people. Thank you Alice.

Spider - blast from the past.

Doris who turned out to be Boris. Martinique Pink Toe. Such glorious colours - 95% of the time hidden away in her web!

Playing about

With my new photography app. Love that this looks like a postcard from the 70's.

Tilt effect and filter effects on Hound Tor on Dartmoor.

Red colour pop and changing the hue and saturation.

Our local pond   and pub given a sepia tone and a lower tilt blend.

I do so love my new toys.

Day at home

So far I have faddled around. Faffed about. Done some chores (yawn) and played with my camera. I am such a productive person.

Walking on your doorstep

I think that when you see something everyday. Drive past it. You forget exactly what is under your nose.

Five minutes from our front door and you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere.

It really is quite lovely.

Hatty McHat time

Leftover yarn just needed to become a slouchy titfer. Catkin hat by Kate Davies on 2.5 and 2.75mm needles. Yarn is as before TUT heavenly fingering in Nimbostratus.

Sloppy, floppy, soft and warm. Perfect.

Boggart

I take less photos of Fergus, mainly because he sees the camera and hides. But caught him yesterday, he was sun puddling. I like this one, he looks scruffy but noble. He was clipped late November and he really needs doing again. He hates any kind of grooming though and gets quite defensive. So he'll most likely be scruffy for a while yet.

Double decker terrier trouble. This is what I got the camera out for. But Lottie thought she heard something and ran off to yap at her imagined foe.  They often sleep like this on the old armchair. They swap back and forward on the top deck. My cream cushion covers are always in the wash!

Trying to blog more

It's a quiet week at work so I'm about a bit more but no less busy. One of my non-resolutions was to firstly blog a bit more and secondly to write more in general. M bought me a beautiful yellowy/orange Moleskine lined note book for Christmas and with my newish ink pen I am attempting to write one flash fiction a week. This week I started number three and it has run away with me, think it will be more fiction than flash but hey ho. I might start a new blog and post some of them there, am undecided at the moment.

I have also been playing about with the new camera again. I do love it.

The quilt is progressing nicely too. But today I have to knuckle down and take back up at job of work. I've been asked to make a small crochet afghan for a charity raffle to be ready by May. Each square takes about an hour. I think I have made 6 so far. So, as I am waiting for the weather to clear up before taking the dogs, I am planning to make at least 2 or 3 squares today. I've also signed up for Ysolda's first mystery shawl knit along, which starts Monday (13th Jan). I have picked my yarn and swatched it.

This a 4ply superwash Merino fingering by Eden Cottage Yarns in the colour Pendle which I bought a Woolfest 2012. I have 800 yards and the pattern calls 600 ish. It has a nice subtle semi solid feel to it.

Lastly, we had some sad new this week. One of my elderly aunties on my Dad's side has passed away. We found out a few years back that she had developed dementia and finally allowed her daughter to put her in a home for her own safety really. I have very fond childhood memories of this aunt and when we used to visit her and other family down in Kent. She came to my wedding and in one of my favourite photos she is smiling at M and I in the background. She was truly a lovely person. My two favourite aunties from that side are now gone, my family so distant and scattered gets smaller every year :(

Cloudy Conic - first FO of 2014

Conic pattern by Cookie A available via Ravelry.

Started in September but took a break for the Xmas knitting. Yarn is Heavenly Fingering in Nimbostratus by The Uncommon Thread. It knits up a dream, washes well and is light but warm. The colour is wonderful and goes with everything.

I really liked this pattern - it has a quirky construction and even with the stocking stitch is an interesting knit. I will make another.

This year so far....

 

Playing with my latest toy.

 

 

Faffing around making a quilt top.

Also just need to cast off and my Conic cardi will finally be finished.

 

New toy

Treated myself to a new DSLR camera. Been playing with it.

I think I like it.

Don't think Fergus is impressed much.

And Conkers doesn't give a hoot.

More!

The voices were whispering, quiet at first, then distinct and clear. "You need more!" They said, over and over again. More? More? How could she possibly need more? Sighing deeply, she visibly drooped. Her head hung forward closer to her chest, and she shut her eyes, if only she could shut her ears and her mind, she thought.

She tried to distract herself. She had a hundred and one things to do, being busy would quiet the voices. "More" they whispered, "Still more and more, you haven't enough," they persisted, "it will be a disaster unless you have more." And finally, "You WILL fail!" She couldn't stand it any longer, she put down her duster, turned off the radio and went to get her coat and bag.

The streets were teeming with humanity, with every kind of life. She was buffeted and jostled at every turn. It appeared that the whole world and his dog needed to be out of doors today. The winter sun did nothing to lift the temperature and the wind had a bite to it that made her wish she had remembered to grab a hat. Her ears stung with cold. She dodged another pensioner and her shopping trolley, put her head down and marched through the crowds, trying not to hear them, smell them, or make eye contact. She did not want to speak to anyone.

The voices were still there, muted by the sounds around her, traffic had its uses, but she was still aware of their mutterings. "More!"

She was hungry. She was tired and she was worn down by the persistent fear of tomorrow and of failing. Desmond would never forgive her if it went wrong in any way. He was such a perfectionist. She spent her days trying to reach and maintain his exacting standards, and she didn't often succeed. Tomorrow was different, she knew what she was capable of and she had no reason to believe that she would fail, well, until the voices started. "More and more and more!" They chanted on.

She pushed her way through the throng of people by the door of the shop, there were people milling about, people shaking charity buckets, people looking lost and others looking annoyed. The change in temperature made her blink and her nose began to run. She sniffed whilst forlornly looking for a tissue in her pocket, something else she had forgotten to pick up. She looked around, there were people everywhere, packed in like sardines and the aisles heaved with bodies. She started to turn toward the exit, "MORE!" Screamed the voices, "not enough," followed by a harsh roaring of the word "FAILURE!" She sighed again, squared her shoulders, picked up a basket and joined the throng of Christmas Eve shoppers.