Bows, Bells, Baubles and Beads

OK, so we’ve been in over 2 weeks now. It was horrid, stressful and rather messy, but I don’t really care any more, because we’re here and the house is better than I ever could have expected. We finally have internet and most of the boxes are empty (except mine, but that isn’t really my fault - I was doing all the other things whilst people unpacked boxes and my room was used as a general dumping ground, because it was out of the way).

So, we’re here and I’m just trying to get myself sorted. If anyone needs the address, just email me. The email address is whatever you feel like putting before the @, then the address of this website (without the www and without anything that may or may not appear after the net).

Oh, and Helen, do you have a new blog? I have vague recollections of you mentioning something, but I’ve not really been focussed for the last goodness knows how long. A lot seems to be happening with you from the bits I’ve picked up from other people’s comments.

There still will be a post about IKnit (I have to be the last person to still be planning a post about it), but not right now. Maybe it canbe one of my NaBloPoMo (or whatever it is called - is it happening this year?) posts. One down, 29 to go!

Any Ravelry Strictly Come Dancing fans out there?

If so, go find the Strictly group on Ravelry and join our Sweepstake (if you like sweepstakes and are happy with the £10 prize level). If you don’t want to do the Sweepstake, go join the group anyway, and chat with us. And commiserate with whoever ends up drawing John Sergeant.

Oh, and no, I’m not entirely sure how I ended up running a sweepstake starting the week I move house and lose my internet connection either.

Finally, we have exchanged. Completion on Friday. Photos of the cardigan will happen as soon as we get to the other end and get the camera, internet and computer sorted at the other end.

I am still going to write about IKnit (I’ve started, I just haven’t finished). I have, however completed the knitting of my first IKnit project. I’ve knitted a Liesl cardigan. It is a lovely, simple pattern which knits really quickly (hello, whole thing knitted in a week, people). I’ve made the body a bit longer and I’ve made the sleeves full length. It needs blocking and the ends sewing in and it needs buttons, but otherwise, it is done. I’m wearing it as I type. It is really,really warm. You wouldn’t think something so full of holes would be, but it is. I may have to wear it to work on Monday, and hope no one notices the lack of buttons, or blocking (I’ll sew the ends in though).

I’m very proud of myself. This is my first proper, wearable garment for me. I love it.

Socks and shawls now though, until at least moving day. I’ve packed all other yarn.

We’re back to possibly never moving.

I’m not impressed with medieval laws and the Church of England.

We may be moving. On Friday. This Friday. I haven’t finished packing. I don’t know what else I need to sort that I haven’t. I don’t know when I’ll know that I am, in fact, moving.

These things are never simple.  On Friday (last Friday) there was talk of it not happening until the middle of October.

There will be a post about IKnit when my sanity returns. Thanks to this news, that may take a little longer than previously planned.

I am so excited!

Tomorrow morning I will be getting on a train to go to London for IKnit. I’ve never been to anything like this before and I’m really looking forward to it, with a bit of apprehension mixed in. For those not aware, IKnit is a big knitting show (OK, so the name was probably a bit of a hint).

I start the day with a bit of knitting on the train (probably my SotSIII). When I get to King’s Cross, I will be meeting my UK Swap co-host, Ruth. This is the one meet up that I absolutely have to do, because Ruth has my ticket! Plus, I’m really looking forward to meeting Ruth in person.

Then we will head over to the venue. We are starting off by listening to a talk by Jane Sowerby (she wrote a book called Victorian Lace Today). After that, I think it is probably time for some shopping, before we go see the Yarn Harlot doing her talk. Then more shopping. Possibly a bit more shopping. Hopefully not too much shopping though, as I’m not sure my bank account will cope.

I’m sure the sensible plan is to take cash and leave plastic at home, but instead I’m taking cash (for the small indie sellers who don’t take plastic), a cheque book (in case I don’t have enough cash for things I want from small indie sellers) and plastic (for everyone who takes it).

I’ve written myself a shopping list, so that I’m not going to go in blind and get a whole pile of single skeins I can’t use. Unfortunately, the shopping list is already a bit on the long side, so I’m hoping I don’t find things suitable for it all.

I shall be wearing hand knit socks (and taking my first pair for the Harlot, because that appears to be the thing to do) and my Liesl cropped cardigan. I’m a bit embarrassed by the Liesl though, because Ysolda Teague will be there and it will be kind of embarrassing to bump into the designer of the item I’m wearing (especially as it is my first knit for me cardi type thing, so not very good). I didn’t put buttons on my Liesl, as I didn’t think it would need it. Having blocked it, it does. So I think I’ve been rather clever (though I don’t want Ysolda to see it). I’ve stolen mUrt’s cuff links to fasten it in place of buttons.

Hopefully I’ll be back here afterwards to tell you how great it was and to post pics of my stash. No pics of the event though, as I’m having camera troubles at the moment and am no way taking mUrt’s camera (mostly because it’s too big and heavy and will take space away from stash - plus I’m not sure mUrt would let me).

I finally organised finding the pics mUrt had taken of Ro. So here are just a few. The first two were taken on our trip to Whipsnade, earlier this Summer.

Ro, me and a cherry tree.

Ro with his reins on.

These next two were taken at mUrt’s 30th birthday party.

The only photo in which we managed to get Ro, Phoebe and Rhiannon to face the same way, at the same time.

Ro juggling.

He is so big now. He walks, he talks, he showers me with kisses and throws big temper tantrums. He really is the cutest little monkey.

Now all I need to do is post some more actual knitting.

You know, if I only listened to the Chris Evans Radio Show, I’d think Stevie Wonder was a one hit wonder. He gets played almost every week on ‘All Request Friday’, but it’s always ‘Sir Duke’.

I feel as if I should phone up and request something obscure by Mr Wonder instead, but I only know 3 Stevie Wonder tracks, none of which are obscure, but apparently, that’s two more than any other listener to the Chris Evans Show.

I often have odd little thoughts, and think I should blog them, but I never do. This one occurred to me when I was sitting right here, so I thought I’d actually do ti for a change. Oh, and my blogging has been almost non existent recently, so I think I’m going to have to goad myself into action by taking part in NaBloPoMo, or whatever it’s called this year.

It seems strange to me that such a tiny difference in words can have such a big difference on my perception. I’m pretty much an atheist. I used to describe myself as an agnostic, but I think atheist is actually closer to my beliefs these days (the change is more in my understanding of the words than a change in my beliefs, I think). I was just reading something where someone said “you’ll be in my prayers” and I realised, worded that way, it doesn’t bother me. When someone says “I’ll pray for you”, it does bother me. I’m sure the person saying these two things probably wouldn’t see a great difference, I’m not sure anyone other than me would, but the first feels like “praying is something I do, and I’ll be thinking about you and your situation at that point” whereas the second feels more like you’re making a big deal out of going out and praying specially for me. I don’t know, this probably doesn’t make much sense, but with all my issues with prayers and Christianity, it just feels better if the emphasis is about them, rather than about me.

Maybe I shouldn’t do freeform thought posting to my blog. At some point, I will come back and post all about the traumas of trying to move house (it might be in the next two weeks!) and how much Ro has grown (he’s practically a teenager!).