Create your own hedgehog!

I finally got Pooch to agree to pose as a hedgehog. It was this pic I thought he looked most like.

Judge for yourselves.

I used some socks to make his ears stick out more. Job done.

I spent a lot of today in the pursuit of curtains. I bought this fabric from IKEA before xmas and got the black-out lining today in Lewisham. A while ago my mother objected to my calling myself a bodger but I make no bones about it and these curtains are surely proof of that. I made an elementary gauge-type error and they came out short. So I sewed two of the gorgeous woven tapes I got at SkipNorth to the bottom.

I *really* love them!

Just in the nick of time I remembered this is a knitting blog - and this is how the knitting has been going. I cast on when I got back from SkipNorth and have been hard at it since. I've almost finished the waist which has to be done in bits to allow for the belt arrangement I want. I'm really pleased with it.

Hedgehog Interlude

Following the cutest baby blanket we have...the cutest baby animal. It may just be me, but I think the 3rd one looks like Pooch.

I read an angry article a few years ago about how images of baby animals are exploited because they look cute, yet most people aren't interested in the full grown adult. I think hedgehogs can be excluded from this. Bigger ones are very nearly as cute.

The most babyish baby knitting ever

I have gotten into the habit of making baby blankets for anyone who looks likely to pop a sprog. I currently have three pending and cast on the 1st last night. I'm using the pattern for the "easiest ever lacy blanket" and some sirdar snuggly kisses. It is the most cutesy baby thing I have *ever* made.

I like the kisses stuff. It stripes itself without being actually stripey. It's not wool but the mum to be is going to be more interested in machine washing plus it won't be cold when the baby is born. Actually, on reflection I am not sure if that matters.

It is well documented that Pooch is not the most handy of men to have around when something practical needs doing. So DIY is down to me. My proudest moments are when I manage to do something that involves drilling. Don't ask me why. So imagine my pride when I put up one of those coat hook bars on the back of the front door!

Looking good huh? More or less straight too.

Yarn is cool even without sunglasses

Saw this Garfield cartoon on Ravelry.

That cartoon was really the best thing that happened to me today. Work sucks. I mean it really sucks. Sucks so much it blows. I'm doing such crappy, boring work that is far far beneath me and yes, I am getting paid about twice as much as the work demands because I'm supposed to be managing someone doing the work and being all strategic in my spare time, but that doesn't make up for the fact that it's so boring. Not just that, but I am getting a lot of agro. Complaints, abuse, swearing. Pleh. I know - get another job. I just can't stand the thought of doing the same kind of job again. I've done it to death now and want to do something new. But as ever I don't know what.

Nevermind. At least my bra fits. And looks better under a t-shirt than this one.

Growing (Up)

The theme of NaBlo whatsit for April is 'growing (up)'. This turned out to be so apt that I am starting a day early. Because today, people, I went to Debenhams and got my bra size measured. Let me draw you a diagram of my bra sizes so far.

Fairly simple. I've never been a big gal. So anyway, there I was in Debenhams. A very nice girl-considerably-younger-than-me approaches holding a tape measure.

GCYTM: OK, your bra size is 32.
Me: 32?
GCYTM: Yes, definitely. Look how much space there is with your current bra and that's a 36. (Stretches current bra so is suprisingly big space between me and it.)
Me: Wow. OK.
GCYTM: And the cup size, mmmmmmmmmmmmmm, (stares fixedly at my modest frontage), mmmmmmmm, Dee.

Me: D? D?????

GCYTM: Double D. 32DD.
Me: .....................................Buh................
GCYTM: OK, I'll go and get some for you to try on (exit stage left).
Me: .....................................Buh................

32DD. She later said that I could try a 34D and get used to that but that I should aim for a 32DD. Jaysus. So it would appear my bosoms have grown up without me noticing.

Anyway, it would seem that my enormous breasticles are not yet getting in my way of my knitting. The coat continues a pace.

I broke 2 stitchmarkers I'd made out of fimo so have made some especially for this project.

Cute, huh? I got the charms ages ago and it seemed the perfect time for them to swing into action.

NaBloPoMo for me

This blog is a shadow of its former self, so I am declaring NaBloPoMo for April. Let's see if I can post every day for a month and what kind of nonsense I start spouting.

Now back to skipnorth...here's the gang.

There were an epic 42 of us and, at least for me, there was a record haul. The thing is, because I drive about in a car instead of on the coach (in case someone needs rushing to A&E with wool fatigue) people never realise how much I've bought. Including me. Which might explain how this year I ended up with this much.

That's a double bed being obscured by it all.

It includes books and magazines, ribbons..

...more buttons than you can shake a needle at....

Including these beautiful flowers and the coincidentally named 'simon' buttons (The Pooch's Earth name).

The weekend included Texere (off program - on friday morning before we officially started), Coldspring, Winghams, The Skep - with this amazing window display....

...and the KCG where there were a number of notable treasures. Namely a model with her dignity protected by nothing but a well placed hot water bottle....

...and an amazing toilet lady - who wasn't actually knitted but was in the toilet.

The weekend included an amazing yarn swap where everyone brought what they no longer wanted and shared the goodness. The quality finds were donated on the understanding that the recipient would make a donation to p/h op, and from looking at the website it looks like that has raised more tan £190 for MSF - donate using the widget on the right. This is the swap in action...

At one point I launched myself across the pile, landing in an elegant spreadeagle, in order to secure a part ball of regia sockyarn. Yeah baby. Dignity.

The wekend also saw an amazingly large number of spinners. There were about 8 wheels and umpteen dropspindlers - all very impressive.

I'd have to say I thought the weekend went really well - and not least because I got home before 9pm (last year was after midnight). The workshops on Friday afternoon were, by all accounts, pretty darned good and I really want to thank all the teachers for volunteering. If there is another one this year you will certainly be hearing it here and on Nic's blog first.

Before I sign off I'm going to mention something that I am pretty sure most of you didn't know that I was involved with anyway - I have resigned as a Director of the KCG. Meh.

Right, look out NaBloPoMo!