Look at all this Beautiful Stuff!

Source: etsy.com via Alex on Pinterest

More info here.

Source: etsy.com via Alex on Pinterest

More info here

Source: etsy.com via Alex on Pinterest

More info here

Source: etsy.com via Alex on Pinterest

More info here

Source: etsy.com via Alex on Pinterest

More info here

Confession Time

But first the brooch I made with the un-holepunched dinks.

OK. Well.

I haven't been talking about dating much recently. No adventures with gentlemen and the like. I have actually been dating someone since about March but it was complicated and so I decided to keep quiet about it until I was more sure of things. I wouldn't actually say I am particularly sure about it still but then there's no rush.

The thing is we've known each other for a long time and so it's not like normal dating where you're getting to know each other, finding out the good and bad things, meeting each other's friends. Been there, done that, had my fingers burnt, literally had the t-shirt at one point too....

...it said "Mrs Pooch"...

Yep, it's Pooch.

And yes, we are divorced. Which has led to some funny conversations such as this one at the checkout of John Lewis Foodhall...

Woman Behind Checkout: Are you two married then?
Pooch: Kind of.
Me: No we're not. We're actually divorced.
WBC: You're winding me up. That can't be true.
Me: No it is. Ask him.
Pooch: Well that is true but we're back together now.
Me: Kind of.
WBC: No, you're making it up. You're joking with me. Why would you be back together if you got divorced?
Me: Ah well...you know...

It is about as weird as you would expect but I'm thinking of it (i.e. Pooch) as a bit like Bindweed. Or maybe Herpes. You think you've got rid of it but there's always an element of it you can't shake and so it comes back again. So I am possibly meant to be with him - at least until someone develops better drugs.

My Jubilee

It started promisingly...

Then we got to the riverbank. This was the best view we could find of the river.

Bleh. Ended up going back to the flat and watching it in the warm on the telly.

I've spent most of the rest of the loooooong weekend crafting. Continuing on the Livingstone Cardigan and also darning a few beloved pairs of socks that had worn thin. One of them was these...

Socks of Kindness - here on ravelry. If you are knitting them I'd suggest stopping the pattern and going into plain stst for at least an inch above the heel flap. The lace there tore the first time I wore them - so gutting. Strictly house socks from now on. Such a shame as the yarn is lovely and unfortunately discontinued. It was YarnAddict's EasyCare Merino. It looks like their SuperMerino might be equivalent. Lovely colours.

In between cabling without a cable needle (yeeeeehaaaa!) on the Livingstone I started an embroidery and when I got bored of that I decided to take another look at a bracelet I saw on Etsy. It was part of the "Pow!" treasury I created but when I went to look had mysteriously disappeared. This is the closest I could find.

Source: etsy.com via Alex on Pinterest

So from my memory of the other one I got out some shrinky dink plastic and started colouring in. 20 mins later...

...and shortly after that...

Now, Class, what did she do wrong? Yes, that's right. She forgot to punch holes before she shrinked the dinks. Doh.

On the plus side I got to see which colour combos work best. I'll be doing this again AND making holes next time. I've used the three best - pow, eek and bang - to make a brooch so they won't be wasted.