Spring Hits London

After the longest winter I can remember, Spring hit London over the weekend. Non-stop rain on Saturday followed by warmth and intermittent sunshine on Sunday. Mustn't knock it after months of freezing cold. The trees have responded by going from zero to blossom in just 2 days which is pretty impressive really. The crab apple trees along the road to the station were bare and dead looking on Friday. Today they are all covered in apples the size of conkers. Small conkers, admittedly, but it is only Tuesday.

There is nothing much to report chez byrne other than Pooch having caught norovirus. Pooch is notoriously careful about hygiene and bulk buys hand gel, refuses to touch handrails, wipes his cutlery in restaurants before eating and so on. Having eaten my share of garden earth in my youth I consider such precautions pointless and while I've had my fair share of illness this year (I'm still coughing after last week's cold) he seems to attract the more explosive types of germs. I guess they are the only ones that can make it through the clouds of antibacterial spray.

I come to you today with two main intentions. The first - that all important hairband updated. And the second  the easing of a fear through the problemsharedisaproblemhalfed school of logic. So, to the hairbands.

You might remember me hissing about this a few weeks ago:

It actually makes me angry just looking at a picture of the little fucker. Well, no more! Behold!

The one on the left has now been my go-to hairband for the last 10 days, while the one on the right was made at the same time and has been unused. Apart from the slight difference in length - which I put down to the knot tightening with use - I can't see a difference whereas with a normal hairband I'd be throwing it away by now in a fit of fits. Plus, where babybliss get you for about £3 for 6, folding elastic (for it is that) is £1.89 for 2m from this seller on ebay. There are many other sellers - I just picked that one and they were fine to deal with. Each band takes about 20cm of stuff so that's 10 for £1.89. Bingo. I have heard rumours of polka dot folding elastic in america. Take me to it baby.

On the handbag front I am progressing nicely and so the time of attaching the fabric to the frame draws closer. You see, the only frame I could get of the type I wanted is a sew-in frame.

I have only used a sew-in frame once - on this bloghop. At the time I said...

"The sewing in was interesting but pretty fiddly."

...which is byrne code for "oh my god I nearly shot myself in the head rather than try and get the fabric in the frame but it's over now so we can all calm down and get on with our lives". Somehow I forgot that though in the excitement of having this handbag come together. So here I am sharing my concern that I'll spend all this time on the fabric part and then cock up the frame part. So...when does 'sharing' start making me feel better exactly?

My 1000th Post

In honour of my 1000th post I tried to recreate the apperitif I so enjoyed in France. The original was an elegant masterpiece of a drink while my version was more like a drawing in crayon but it went down smoothly.

Take a few raspberries and mash'em with the back of a spoon. Smear messily around rim of glass. Find you have no plain granulated sugar - use caster sugar. Spread over kitchen floor and rim of glass so it sticks to the sticky raspberry gloop. Add fizzy wine. Add too much Chambord because that weird little bottle pours strangely. Tip in rest of raspberry mush. Glug. Hiccups. Done. Nice one Gordon.

Where was I..ah yes. I have been brung low by a cold so have mainly been huddling with a grumpy expression, but I have got a few things done. Baby bunting for example.

Regular readers might have just done a double take and thought I was shamming here. But no, this is the inside version of the outside bunting you saw last year at Nickerjac's wedding (which was actually made for my sister's wedding - long story).

You see, outdoor bunting is single thickness, raw edge and uses string. Inside bunting is double sided, finished edge and uses ribbon. According to the Book of Byrne. This is for the neice-in-progress's nursery. Then there's this.

I am not too sure about the measurements, but then very few people nurse cushions so it will probably be ok. I used this pattern, more or less. The inside is red flannel while the outside is some chirpy cheap cotton. Is also for NIP. The little one is apparently in position and according to the midwife "if she was any more engaged you'd be in labour" so I am all set to assume the crazy aunt position at a moment's notice.

Pooch was very sweet and a few weeks ago bought me a yarn bowl which just arrived yesterday.

Isn't it beautiful? It is from this Etsy seller who I would definitely recommend.

I'm currently knitting from balls of James C Brett (yep, cardigan is still slowly progressing) but I'm going to rewind the balls so I can use the yarn bowl properly.

Meanwhile I've got the following underway:

• Marble cardigan - about 80% done
• Mum's shawl - about 75% done
• Deb's cushion about 70% done
• Handbag for me about 30% done
• Other things for NIP 50% done

So I'd better take some more cold and flu remedy, put on a Marple and get on with it.