Dreams, punch and judy, handweavers...just so much!

I think I need to do this starting from now and going backwards. I seem to have woken up ridiculously early at 6am but don't mind as I woke up at the end of a great dream. HHH and I were both extras in Emmerdale and to cut a long story short he gave me a hug when I told him I thought he was great! Woke up all smiley. NO THIS IS NOT REALLY SAD.

Was in canary Wharf doing some last minute shopping yesterday on the way back from the item I will get to in a minute. Was all ready to go home when I heard a Punch and Judy show round the corner. DUDE! I love Punch and Judy. And from all the adults sitting around it looks like it really does hotwire straight to your childhood. I was laughing so much. The crocodile was there stealing the sausages and the policeman was trying to catch Mr Punch. Mr Punch was telling the children (and me) that the crocodile was as gentale as a pussy cat and would thenstroke the crocodile which would purr and meow. Then everytime Mr Punch looked away the crocodile would open his mouth almost 180 degrees and be about to eat Mr Punch when all the children (and me) would shout "He's behind you" and then when Mr Punch turned round the crocodile would be acting all cutesy again. Then, in a stunning plot twist, the crocodile did bite Mr Punch but he just got him by the nose - that was a stroke of genius frankly. I heard the words "Oh no he wouldn't" and I drew a really deep breath to shout back "Oh yes he would" when I realised I am 27 and really shouldn't do that anymore. I wonder whether you can train as a punch and judy artiste?

So getting to the main bit I just have a small confession to make - have left my camera cable at work so there are no pics - sorry. We had a wicked UKHK trip to the Handweavers studio in Blackhorse Road. It was me, Ruth, Nikki, Ann, Sue and Gill and we had a ball. We definitely managed to boost Nancy's usual Saturday takings. I will post photos on Monday but for now you'll have to make use of your own imaginations! Lots of stuff to dye and lots of copper bag handles - circles and squares - as I want one of those bracelet handbags and now have enough bracelets for about 8! But will be covering them in fabric and wool and yummy stuff. We had a lovely pub lunch afterwards and Ruth was kind enough to share a stash clearout Kerrie from hipknits had given her. I have a whole skein of giotto in red plus a cone of machine knitting yarn to learn with after xmas. Hoorah hoorah.

Hair, sock, mental birds and more

Well where to start? I guess with the hair - yes that's right, it's that time of year when Byrne gets a haircut. The lucky salon this time was J-hair with the frankly very easy on the eye KD at the wheel. It is, as some of you may have guessed, a japanese salon and is all funky but let's cut to the good bit - excellent haircut, wonderful wash, condition, head massage and highest level style and finish for....wait for it....£25. And they give you a card so if you get 10 haircuts you get the next one free. I highly recommend the place - and if you admire the snake-hipped-cutely-smiling-male ask for KD.


But enough of these fripperies, let's talk socks. I was sorely tempted by some shiny sock yarn about 2 weeks ago and it has arrived and, frankly, I'm rather disappointed.

It's sock yarn, it's got some lurex in it....

...but the colours are very flat and the texture isn't that nice. Slap wrist for impulse buying.

And talk about impulse buying. Let us consider what I was thinking when I purchased this:

I started crocheting it into a 3rd jumper for the Vitas baby but then must have woken up or something because, dude, all it is saying to me now is "sanitary-towel-advert". Bit of a whoops there. Will be ripping that any minute now.

FRED FRED FRED looky here:

I LOVE the colourway. I finished this one at the golders green group last night and decided on a whim to i-cord the toe and make it all pointy. I think it is terribly cute. Have already cast on the second one.

So what have I got to finish with this time? The MOST exciting news - Tom and Doug have started doing podcasts. You remember them....Tom and Doug. The Tom and Doug. The writers and performers of Gansta Knitter. This is quite possibly the best music video ever made. To cut a long story short I have ended up with Professor Doug (he actually is a professor - of child psychology as it turns out) as a penpal and we have been emailing back and forth for about a year (maybe?) now. Just every couple of weeks and writing silly emails where I'm hoping mine make him laugh as much as his do me. I know I've missed the last posting date for xmas but I have got these together rather last minute to send to the intrepid duo.

The crazy orange bird is a pen, obviously. Then there are "zip-pals" - one each for Tom, Doug (Cool dude) and Doug's little daughter. (special little girl). I fear Doug will try and keep the girlie one and give his daughter the cool dude one but then that's a man's right to choose.

Right, must go and get ready for work. Pooch woke me up early so that he could get in at 8 to right the wrongs of programming so I thought a little blogging would be good. On saturday there is the group visit to the handweavers studio so expect a smidgen of stash enhancement news on sunday. Seasons greetings to y'all xx

New eyebrows

Never mind all this face transplant stuff - I've got new eyebrows. Apparently they were there in the undergrowth all this time but today they were revealed, pink and naked, to the world. But first, brace yourselves. How many fricking freckles?

Where did they all come from? I was always under the impression there was just a smattering of main ones, not all these littl'uns. I look like a moon.

So back to some knitting stuff. Today I have finished the most amazing hot water bottle for Mr Joe Milner-Moore and Miss Elinore Lyons. Joe said "This is the best furry hot water bottle I've ever had" (he said that just now - I just gave it to him about 30 seconds ago.) It is knit out of one strand of stylecraft gypsy (Soooooo soft) and one of some machine wash wool that I hand dyed with the old kool aid.


Have also been putting some more work in on the ladybird socks. Plus the never ending shawl. Oh, for post xmas wonderfulness. I need to start compiling a list of future projects. No time like the present...

1. The tubey jumper from the current knitty.
   
2. Cabled socks in the cherry tree hill yarn I got at ally pally
3. (Finish) the leaf jumper from loop-d-loop
4. (Finish) the kaffe fasset v-neck tank top in the 'small circles' pattern
   
5. Patchwork something or other using the hexagon template Rob is making me.
   
6. I really need to put these in the side bar...feel free to suggest others!
   

More yodelling, this time in somerset

Yes, peeps, this weekend I was visiting the mother in deepest exmoor. Took the presents down and generally said hello as I'll be xmassing at Pooch's Mum's again this year. I have promised her a website (can you believe neither she nor my step-dad Rob have ever seen "the internet"?) so was taking lots of pics of the shop. Here is one...

That is Pooch stage left, and mumsy in the middle with Rob doing a good impression of a customer. The shop is called "Shakespeare and Hall" and is in Dunster in Exmoor National Park.

Managed an escapade to Dulverton on saturday and combining my button haul from stratford with my one from there we get...

I just love buttons. And you know I came across pencil rolls in the cheap art shop I found on charing-cross road. And you can hear it too right? "Circular needle holders" they scream at me.

That's one rolled up and in it's wrapper on the left and unrolled and laid out on the right. I am thinking my golders green secret santa could be receiving one (decorated of course with a plethora of buttons). *Sigh* I just love those buttons.

I had the day off on Friday and had a lovely time doing domestic thingys and popping into the knitting store in stratford (in the covered market). I came out with yet more yarn for baby clothes (and the aforementioned buttons - or at least about half of those in that picture.)

I like the rainbow one on the right - it's a proper robust rainbow and they had some knitted up there and it looked nice. Going to start knitting the 3 month + sizes though as they seem to grow quite quickly.

Actually spoke to Vitas on Friday as well and the little lady has been born and, as some of you may have guessed knowing what I'm like, I've forgotten her name again. I will be getting my first sighting on the 22nd when I go down to Margate before going back to Canterbury to see Louise.

Then in the afternoon on Friday I went to the V&A which is amazingly what I planned to do so I was very pleased with myself to be that organised and efficient. And the main object for my attention was Kaffe Fasset's xmas tree. I admit when I got there I was in a right mood and so basically looked at it, looked at the chihuly glass over reception and made some sort of derisive snorting noise. BUT....after a choc brownie in the restaurant (and man, that thing was good - no nuts which is the way such things should be) I made my way back and actually it's exquisite.

Here is a close up of some of the fans - his fabric glued onto cardboard.

The photos don't do the colours justice as ever. I also got a good look at Queen Maud of Norway's wardrobe in the fashion section. It was f.a.b. and really inspiring. Although inspiring towards what I could not say. I feel like I am gradually filling up with inspiration - like one of those water barrels in hardcore-gardener's gardens - and at some point I will use it all in some cerative burst. I don't know what though. I did also fall in love with the Kaffe Fasset quilts for the V&A book which is divine. Have been meaning to start a wish list for Pooch's reference so will add this to it.

So to finish, those of you who are members of the knitting and crochet guild will have received your copy of SlipKnot and will undoubtedly have noticed......

...on page twenty something. Yes folks, get your knitting holiday tickets here!