Atlantis

There aren't many downsides to having your patterns published (I'm really rather pleased it's happening!). But the one that I can think of, is the wait between completing my latest pride and joy, and it actually appearing in the world, so that I can put it on display.

Not sure when I finished this bathmat, but it's now in Let's Knit, so I can show it to the blogosphere.

I'm well aware that this is not of interest to anyone but me, but that's what blogs are all about, aren't they?

Getting things finished

Knitting

This has been a weekend for getting things finished, and some of them have been going on a ridiculously long time.

Firstly, there's a pair of gloves which are a commissioned pattern, so I'll post a pic when they're published.

Secondly, there's a sweater that has taken me a year to make. Not because it's particularly complicated, just because I kept putting it down and picking it up again.

My mate Mandy wanted a sweater like the Vicar of Dibley's. She tried to describe it to me and the best we could come up with (from descriptions such as - "it was in the episode when...") was this:

As you can see - not much to go on.

So I went to Ann Budd for the basic shape (of course - she is goddess), and created the folowing:

I just hope she likes it, but if I see it in the local Oxfam shop, then I'll know the answer!

Writing

Nothing new to report, although I did send off a short story comp entry a couple of weeks ago. Don't expect to win, but it felt good to enter!

Life

Not much work in (hence my crisis of confidence the other day), so I did my favourite thing; I threw stuff away. We had a bureau in our dining room (very1950s and not in a good way, but a serviceable piece of furniture, none the less) which was filled with all sorts of nonsense. It had become a bit of a "dumping ground" for everything - bits of wrapping paper, batteries, you know the type of stuff.

So I decided to sort it out and then had a thought. The desk in what we laughingly call "the office" was falling apart. This wasn't helped by an incident when I got it stuck over a banister and ended up taking a saw to it, but that's another story.

So it occurred to me that the bureau could go into the office and the desk could go into the tip. Sorry, not very environmentally friendly, but it was so rubbish I didn't feel I could offer it on Freecyle or similar - it was a bit of a health hazard.

So this is what we have done. We now have more room in the dining room, more room in the office (the bureau is slightly smaller than the old desk) and have got rid of an unsightly bit of crap. There's nothing like a bit of de-cluttering to lift the spirits, is there?

Obsessions

We all have the ability to develop obsessive habits.

For some of us, it's collecting yarn. For example, why did I buy a large ball of pompom yarn yesterday? Because I want to see what it's like to knit with. Despite those who have tried it saying "they no like" - no, I can't miss out. It's not like I'm short of yarn!

I have recently realised that I have an obsessive habit. Every day, I have to log on to www.suite101.com, to see if more or fewer people have been reading my articles.

If it's any help, I do know that it's pathetic. I mean, what's wrong with me, that I can't just put it on there, and wait for comments.

Mmm - I wonder if there's an article in that.......

Sometimes the darkness comes

Isn't it funny how we can turn on a sixpence?

I've not had a bad day - been busy - earned some money, had a nice dinner with a friend.

And then the evening comes and the darkness descends, actually and metaphorically.

Probably I'm just tired, but right now I'm feeling vulnerable, scared and tearful.

I've been full of doubt recently; my life has gone through some changes, so this is probably a natural reaction. Often it's fine, my pride in my own courage is just one of the things keeping me buoyed up.

But then there are the times like now. Have a made the right choice at the right time? What happens if it all goes wrong? Will I recover from disaster?

I know, this is self-indulgence. My biggest fears are growing in the darkness. Perhaps I should try to sleep before they take me over.

May confidence find me by morning.

Whimsical Memories

Yesterday, I happed to drive past my old school at finishing time. For many people this may be an everyday occurrence, but I live approx 50 miles away from where I grew up, and although my Dad is still near, I'm not usually around on a week day at a quarter to four.

It's funny the memories and feelings that went through my mind.

The building is still the same, but the uniform has changed (I would have killed for a v-neck sweater when I had to wear a crew-neck). As I watched the kids walking along in groups, waiting for their buses and trying desperately to be "alternative" and nonchalant. I couldn't help but smile. I was one of those girls, with band names written all over my school bag, books covered in wallpaper and a desperate desire to fit in by being different.

When I went around the corner, I saw another sight that was different from my schooldays, but yet the same. On a streetcorner (coincidentally the street where I used to go for piano lessons). was a crowd of about 15 girls from my old school, and about the same number of boys from our brother school. (This corner is approximately equidistant from those two august institutions). Some of the kids/teens were chatting, and flirting. On the edges of the group the other kids, the ones more like me, were hanging around. Perhaps jealous, perhaps bored, but unwilling to leave without their more popular mates.

For most of the way home, this song was in my head.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPPi58K6wZs



Perhaps, it should have been "I'm glad I'm not young anymore"!

Oh, the shame

So, I'm putting together some Christmas Patterns (yes, I know it's only October, but this is for promotion and therefore needs to be early).


I wanted some find some dark green yarn for some holly leaves.

I couldn't find it anywhere. In the end, I got all of my stash and stacked it up on the bed.

I had to leave the room for a moment. I suggested to best beloved that if he wanted to see something horrible, he should look in the bedroom. He gave me a puzzled look, to which I could only reply "my name is Lahlah, and I have an addiction problem".

Here's the proof.

So - this is why I'm NOT going to Ally Pally this year.


I managed to find some dark green. In all of the above, I had two small balls of it - about 15 - 20g each. Unreal!


Still enough to make what I wanted though.










Happy Holidays!

Sleepy

strikes me that bourbon creams have soporific qualities. Even with the caffeine in the accompanying cup of tea, after two biscuits, I could happily push my keyboard to one side, put my head on my desk (storytime at primary school style) and have a little sleep.

This was worrying me greatly – I even went to my local Lloyds pharmacy and got myself tested for diabetes, but that was all absolutely fine (thankfully).

I’ve always had the problem that ridiculously coloured and sugared sweets at lunchtime leave me catatonic (no, not literally, obviously), but a couple of biggies with a 10 o’clock cuppa shouldn’t be doing this, should they?

Of course, it doesn’t help that I’m at work and automatically bored. This is what has led me biscuit-ward in the first place.