Ow. Self-pity central

Ow. Have got the lurgy. Again. This time it is this cold that is going around so nothing crazily awful but I still feel like poo. Enough of that though. My day confined to a house full of damp tissues will be put to good use with knitting and blogging.

I can see why my cold got worst - cause I spent 2 hours yesterday walking round regents park without my hat on. It was my first meeting with my new mentor who is a complete dude. He works as a facilitator for PWC and is the source of all kinds of knowledge. He seems fascinated by everything and I just really like talking to him. This was our 3rd or 4th meeting as I first bumped into him last year at a conference but it was the first one where I was going "so what do you think" and he was saying "Well what do you think" and so on. The meeting was so useful and really helped me think about the change management stuff I am doing at the moment and a couple of potentially awkward one-to-one meetings I've got coming up. For those of you who have not yet sprung upon the joys of mentoring there is lots here which is not specific to any particular profession, however it might look. I can recommend it as good stuff as, ahem, I wrote it myself in my former job.

I think I might have omitted to mention the impending arrival of a baby girl this week, curtesy of my first true love Vitas who was my first proper boyfriend. He and his girlfriend Charlie have been together for about 5 years and I am so excited that someone is having a baby who I actually know properly. I have already done this little cardi....what amazes me about this pattern is how you start from this mess which I kept folding this way and that and couldn't see how it would work:

to this:

It's the James C Brett marble again. Dianne's knitting yarns (link in list in the left margin) has got some new colours in this yarn so I am just waiting for them to come out in singles rather than packs. She says it won't be too long.

A little hat...

And am well into the wrap top from erika knights "simple knits for soggy babies" book.


So really i have way too many WIP at the moment. Let's just list them shall we, so we can shame me into not starting anything else....
1. wrap top for the baby
2. Brown socks for Pooch's dad
3. Peacock curly whirly
4. Fortissima red tone socks for mum
5. Cargo jumper
6. Aran jumper
7. The eternal kaffe fasset v-neck

I think that's it but I am sure there are probably more unfinished pairs of socks about too.

One thing I did manage to finish was the scarf for Alex. He is picking it up toorrow from work but I'm not there so I'll have to wait and see what he makes of it.


My SP played a blinder and sent me a lovely parcel yesterday. The highlight...actually it was all great but there were two things I especially loved. 495g wool in a lovely red. Don't want to waste it so am not going to rush into using it. Am thinking jumper or, actually, maybe, one of those low scoop v-necks. Hmmmm.

The joint favourite is this keyring. I've been meaning to get a keyring for ages as I haven't had one since I moved house. Isn't this sweet?

I also got body cream, a lush massage bar and a fruit bar (bless you for trying to make me healthier).

Still no word from my pal recipient. Have sent her a last ditch email today. My only concern is that she might be ill, but then she's been like this all the time.

Am selling a load of knitting bits on ebay at the moment. Click here to have a look at what's what. I'm going to add more of my beaded stitch markers later today and possibly some of those little fimo knit brooches. For now I think I might just nip back to bed for a bit of a snooze....

Keep your friends close...

Yes people - I have finally "arrived"!!! I have, wait for it, an official enemy. I hear all the best people have one and mine is called CD (full name witheld because she'll come to her senses soon and feel all silly). Below is her most recent email...

You were not 'flamed ' by somone you were told by me

remember the name i will remember yours.

you are most aggresive

I blame it on all the wrestling I watch. All because I complained about my pal on the UKHK list and she felt it was an inappropriate forum. She's been flaming Fred and Colin too. Poor thing. I kind of feel sorry for her as she might actually have a problem or something. Today is a two-pill day for me (the cutdown continues) and I know I feel stroppier on the two-pill days. Pooch has them marked on his phone's calender! I think of the moods more like sport now - makes it more entertaining for me to allocate points when I'm in a real stinker.

Pooch's hospital tests are on Thursday....thanks to those who have contacted me with good wishes.

Am just off to lobby this lot for a doll pattern.

Long long long

Having the internet at home the way it is is turning out to be almost worse than not having it at all. It keeps freezing and stopping so poor Pooch is going to be having yet more conversations with the call centres of the world.

Anyway, let's wrap up paris and then move on.

I was quite astonished at Phildar who I haven't had anything to do with before. From the outside it looks like a normal clothes shop

But on the inside (as well as the clothes) it was packed with yummy stuff and all the latest Phildar magazines.

Did I manage to buy anything? Well..... you know me. Just one or two things. From top left clockwise...

Two colours of lovely 50% wool. There were single colours as well but I just loved the red/green/purple one and this is a dream to knit with. Doesn't feel acrylicy at all and gives lovely even stitch definition. The lettuce looking one is actually called 'clapotis' and appears to be made out of j-cloth. Not my usual fair but with a name like that I kind of had to. Plus none of these were more than about 4 euros (and the nice 50%wool was 2.80). Bottom right is another possible kid silk haze contender. The leery green in the middle is quite a tight, thin boucle that I thought might be nice plied with something and then bottom left is a chunky i-cord type thing a little bit felted which I basically bought to dye. Is this is? Oh, no I don't think so....

Top left is a novelty thing that either creates lacy madness by itself or looks good used with another yarn as an accent. On the right are two colours of plied wool/acrylic that I just liked the look of and then bottom left is a mohair in a wicked pink colour. The woman in the shop was very nice and very patient with my french. I also got three pattern books which have a number of lovely things in. I hadn't seen Phildar in the UK so I asked the UKHK list where one gets such stuff and there is a place called strands in scotland that has it but where the euro prices just have a pound sign put in front or there is another one in france with cost postage prices and the same cheaper prices so I might use that one. I would like a jumper in that red/green/purple one.

I did pretty well for wool shops. There was another one I would have visited near the hotel which sold this stuff...

I haven't seen it before and couldn't see the price. I would have gone in and bought some to try but the place was never open. Ah well, reckon I still did pretty well!

Knitting seems to be as popular in france as it is dans angleterre. My eagle ears caught the word 'tricot' one morning while Pooch was flicking through the TV channels and lo and behold....

Yes, a news item on a knitting group. They reminded me of the lovely golders green possy who I am missing mightily at the moment after a two week absence. And why two weeks? Well because on the final morning at about 3am I woke up from a nightmare with the *worst* food poisoning ever. I don't want to go into details but I needed to get from the hotel to the gare du nord and then onto the eurostar and then from waterloo to home and combined that was probably the hardest journey I have ever undertaken. The actually nastiness stopped late Thursday but I am still not completely recovered. One of the most annoying things has been me suddenly running out of energy which meant I missed the big handover last week or Liz's wedding blanket. You see the golders green posse all did 2 12 inch squares and we sewed them all together and hemmed it in crochet and it looked wicked bad and the handover was last wednesday. And I missed it! Will try and get a photo of the finished thing from one of the others as it really is very lovely.

I have managed to finish several pairs of socks recently but not when I have a camera around. I have also just the tassles to add to a cobnut scarf for my friend Alex that I've done with two strands of cashmerino from coldspring. Took 4 balls all together. Just started another curly whirly yesterday in cherry tree hill peacock for my best mate Louise for xmas. Again, no actual pictures. Plus I have a *huge* pile of magazines and pattern books to sell on ebay, as well as a load of lovely stitch markers except I can't get the internet reliable enough to list them. If anyone can recommend a free listing programme for macs that would be much appreciated.

Woke up this morning convinced it was Tuesday - weird - so had a rather unnecessarily sudden start to the day as I then leapt out of bed. Joe, Ellie and Denning are coming round for lunch today so Pooch is deep into his Ric Stein cookbook (it was our anniversary - 18 months - last week so got him a little present) and is threatening 'roast cheese'.

So I think to wrap up I just have to have the same rant here that I've already had on UKHK - my secret pal is rubbish. Not the one giving to me - she is a definite dude. The one I'm sending to. Unanswered emails, unacknowledged parcels, blog last updated 3rd October. Have decided to give her til the end of next week to respond to the last parcel then will send her the 'balance' in john lewis vouchers and not bother with it anymore. So off-putting as I really enjoy the spoiling-others part. Pooch has suggested the two of us have a secret pal of our own with the same guidelines regarding spending and postal delivery (except to work addresses). I think it might be quite sweet and I'm not going to join the next SP after recent experiences.

Wow - long post. Sorry guys. Have another busy week coming up - mentoring in birmingham on wednesday, hair makeover (oh yes there will be pics) in....weston-super-mare (obviously) on Thurs and then I am at a conference friday/saturday at lovely Ashridge business school. I'll be sure to check in though and hopefully have some pictures of these FOs to share!

Will normal service ever be resumed?

So yes, we do have internet at home and, yes, it would be quicker to walk round to all your houses with a photoalbum and tell you all what was going on so my blogging has not got quite back to speed - sorry loyal readers. Plus there has been an upset to normal events. Two upsets actually. And now I need to be careful about the order in which I mention them...

1. Mr Pooch (the hero of our tale) went to A&E yesterday because, in his own words, his head went pop and he almost passed out. This also happened at the louvre so am concerned at the frequency. The loely doctor at A&E couldn't find anything so I trotted him (pooch, not the doctor) round to register witht he GP this morning who has prescribed tests, tests and more tests. Poor little Poochikins. I'll keep you all posted.
2. Eddie Guerero is dead.

Now don't waste my time sitting there saying 'who' because you all know he was one of the latino wrestlers on WWE and was one of the main characters, loved by all for his rascally high jinx and goofing and he was only 38 when he had a heart attack last weekend. I know this all sounds weird and I have had trouble accepting it myself bwecause it does sound like a stupid plot line but it really has happened and he leaves behind him a wife and two-kids. I saw a tribute to him last night at Denning's house and you've got these 7ft 300lb men crying and hugging each other and talking about the tricks they got up to together and all this and I swear if I wasn't so pumped full of anti-d's I would have been weeping in a puddle on the floor. It really is unbelievably sad and tragic and people I really am serious about this so please no smart cracks about wrestling today. Today we mourn Eddie.

I'll get back to the knitting tomorrow.

Oh la la I am back and almost in full health as i will shortly relate to you. Paris was tres awesome and it will come as no surprise to you who know me best that within about 3 hours of arriving I was at a yarn shop. You see Pooch was all for roaming the streets like one of those wild boars they have in germany and I was all for a little targeted stuff and so we amicably went our own ways. Now it would have been easy to miss. Look at this...

Not exactly easy to find. I forget what this one is called. Something beginning with P near St Pauls. I wasn't that enthralled with this one. The annie blatt and bouton d'or was quite nice but basically as exciting as rowan. Mind you that didn't stop me making one or two little purchases.

Here you've got (from top left to right aha) regia 4-ply in a nice colourway, this weird boucle kind of stuff that looked quite interesting, the 127 print which is basically variegated except there's lots and lots of cream and then a band of variegated browns. Quite nice, The green one is silk and I splurged as I just really liked the colour - a kind of oriental green. Some brown variegated cotton and I lastly got 4 balls of this kidsilk lookalike in a nice pink. No magazines as there basically weren't any. There was a selection of sales stuff but it was all unappealing so left it. Prices were between 4 and 10 euros so generally cheaper than the UK.

The holiday really was lovely with lots of hanging about in cafes and wondering the little streets and popping into places like the louvre and the pompidou. I won't bore you with tonnes of pictures but there are just a few highlights...first my favourite painting in the pompidou (you could take pics - even with a flash - thought it was quite weird. Naturally I did not use my flash as that is evil so here is the result.


Food featured large in our stay and I've got two particular pics to share here. First is the posh idea of hot chocolate....Mmmmmmmmmmm

It was so good. So good. SO good. In case you're unclear what I'm raving about that cup is basically full of liquid chocolate and the silver jug on the left is full of more of it. OK so the low-carb low-sugar thing was screwed but hell! I was on holiday. And it was soooooooo good.

The other foodie item is obviously Pooch related. Now Pooch and I had proper oysters for the first time one night. I didn't rate them but Pooch really did and went on about them all through the meal (they had been part of a seafood starter). When it came to pudding time I dutifully ordered a really rather nice choc mousse and Pooch...looking furtively around him, beckoned the waiter closer and muttered something to him. When our desserts arrived this is what they looked like.

Yes, that is 6 oysters in the background. What a weirdo.

Right must dash off to work (yeah baby!!!!! internet at home at last wooo hooo) but will post part 2 tomorrow.

Last post for a week!

Last post before PARIS. Am so excited now. Seriously excited. No, more than that. So anyway have managed to get batteries charged and ready for action so here are a plethora of piccies.

First off let me finally share the curly whirly #2 which is made from the yarn my SP gave me (this only used about 1/5 of the yarn she sent me!). The colours change from red to darker red to orangey red, all very subtle and lovely. I used an 8mm crochet hook whereas it is dk yarn hence the lacy and droopyness.

The other things she sent me are here – aren’t they wonderful?

She said she had guessed my favourite colour was red so there are a whole load of sequins and beads and some shiny red cord and then the little book is wicked. An *amazing* source of info. If anyone has any madder lying about then just you let me know.

Fred has also been a wonder and sent me these cute little ladybirds. I am desperate to use them but am not sure where to stick them. Ideas people? Actually maybe a picture frame. I do absolutely adore them though. Thanks Fred! Xx

Going back to my previous SP present the first pom pom finally gets its moment of glory. YES I KNOW it is a strange shape and somewhat uneven. I will get there with time. The pom pom makers made it ultra easy and it seems to be holding together which was always the problem when I made them as a kid. It is made of the Louisa harding angora that I just don’t get on with and that I had overdyed red as I didn’t like the original colours.

There was another fimo outburst at the weekend as predicted and what you have here includes a pair of commercial cheap ebay wooden needles with experimental ends, some more of the little brooches and some buttons. Had tried making one of those millefori rods but was using fimo ‘soft’ which I think is too malleable to really do it properly. Ho hum, might mean a little trip to Hobbycraft when I come back from PARIS (so excited!!!).

The rounder buttons were made by creating a button mold out of air drying clay (basically press buttons I have that have nice patterns on into the clay and then leave to dry). I stuck a piece of the rod into the button mold and came out with these. You can’t really see the pattern but they have different flower shapes impressed in them. Need to work on that a bit though to get it a little better.

Was thinking about xmas pressies for all my knitty friends and so obviously ended up on ebay. This seller really is the dog’s. I’ve cleaned out her glass cat stock and thought these turtles and hearts were lovely too and really very reasonable. Very fast delivery too and a charming correspondent!

Aren’t they just so divine?

So have I done any actual knitting recently? Well I have bashed out most of a sock pretty sharpish. I really like this colourway – regia 4-ply – and had kept telling myself they were a xmas present but am def keeping these ones. Am also still bashing away at that rancid aran.

And finally, I never did share the pics of the dock where I am living now but here is a taster and a question. What are those black birds? I keep wanting to say Cormorant but then I’m pretty sure they’re not. One of the juvenile swans has nonchalantly managed to get into the shot. Aren’t they all lovely? The black ones are found on this jetty most mornings waggling their wings and apparently airing and drying themselves out a bit. The swans continue to be adorable.

So aurevoir mes amies. See you on the other side!

Alex needs...

• An angel for her father
• You!
• Your help
• To customise the document to better fit the role she's seeking
• To open a pizza store in MC
• A scapegoat
• You! (again - geez I'm so needy)
• Rooney
• To know what real pain is
• Lessons

Is MC Michigan? I ought to check that before I go any further on this one. Am sure you've all seen this. Put "(first name) needs" into google and press return. Saw it everywhere but recently on Doodle's blog. Her list is much better than mine though!

That's Pooch's arm, right?

So I have had one offer to take the toys off my hands and one request for patterns. Well….here is the prototype monstrosity I have made and behind it is all the Japanese.

I am surviving by largely improvising and using whatever digits appear in the pattern as an indication of how many stitches I should have at that point. Naturally copying patterns is evil and robs people of their copyright and so if you email your postal address to littlelixie@hotmail.com I absolutely won’t send you a copy.

Here are some of the sweeties I plan to be making soon…


I do really love that Giraffe!

I am currently on the look out for dowel and this is how I’m going with this project so far….

(The bottom bits of course). The top bit is my latest crochet toy attempt. I am calling this one “a pooch” so how it turns out will probably depend a lot on how nice he is to me.
I have plans, people. Watch this space.

So updating you generally this is the aran jumper for my step-dad.

Is going really s..l..o..w..l..y.. but nevermind. Isn’t yellow either – is just the lighting. Is a natural oatmeal type colour.

Secret Pal – I am very sorry I have forgotten to take a pic of the curly whirly I made from the yarn you sent me last weekend. Will try and do that this week as it is *such* a lovely colour. Instead here is a wire crocheted bracelet and DO NOT LAUGH or cringe or anything at how hairy my arm appears to be.

Hey wait a minute, that’s Pooch’s arm. Yeah, Pooch’s. Anyway….here’s a close up of POOCH’S arm.

I did a single chain row and then worked two doubles into each stitch. It doesn’t obviously curl but it is quite nice. Meant to put beads on it but forgot.

So finally a comedy shot. If you were going to cut dowel…how would you do it? Would you place it across your lap and saw towards your groin while a mate’s head was just millimetres away from the blade? Allow me to introduce…Joe (holding the saw) and Dann. No men were harmed in the making of these needles!


And finally….I’m off to PARIS on Saturday so count me out for next week. Back on Thursday when will probably still have no internet but have wool hunting soirees planned so expect some good photos.

Just a quickie

STILLLLLLLLLLL no internet. BT - I want you to know that now when I say these two letters I kind of spit a bit as well so don't be standing in front of me when you ask me about how this is going. As an interim here is my leaving/arriving cake I had in the office... isn't it sweet? Chocolate of course (Nikkie - this was ordered before I talked to you I swear!!)

Am *so* into crochet. (I think I might have a new first love but don't tell UKHK or Pooch) and so am off to John Lewis to purchase some stuff suitable for japanese toys. I, ahem, do not have the 4-ply acrylic necessary for kiddie toys. (Why the hell am I doing kiddie toys - I loathe children. Anyone have a 2 year old they think would like them get in touch and you can have them! Otherwise they'll be charity shopped!)

Strike 2!

PSst, I wrote this yesterday because I actually am busy today. So much to read.....

So guess what? No internet at home. It didn’t work *shock*. But after all I have just started a new job (day 2 and counting) and so it’s not like I have any actual work to do yet or anything. In fact people keep asking me how it’s going and I keep saying ‘fine’ but actually I don’t see what I’m supposed to fill my time with. The stuff he asked me ‘to start investigating’ I wrapped up this morning with about 2 hours of googling and some well placed emails. And he seems rather over-worked to talk to me much. Plus the whole point of the job is that I am a self-starter so really I shouldn’t be abusing the IT facilities by just randomly writing my blog in a word document while it might look like I’m working. A*n*y*w*a*y….

So yes, knitting huh? Actually let me get a grip because I did go to knitting group last night in lovely golders green and had a ball. Nikki gave me the full rundown on sugar and why byrne-must-not-eat-it and she actually made it make sense and made it seem practical. Anyone wanting any nutrition advice go seek her out. Laura was there just being lovely as always. Julie has kicked her husband out, her daughter is now a crochet and knitting master (mistress?) despite abhorring the sight of her mum knitting up to about a month ago. Liz was on good post-wedding form. Joanne and the two women who’s names I can’t remember were there too and also f.a.b.. Feel like I’ve forgotten someone but not sure who. Anyway – I learnt bucketloads, and not just about sugar. Woo ha! It was basically a good evening because earlier on I had met up with lovely friend Louise and given her the curlywhirly scarf I made in james c brett marble and it looked wonderful on her and she seemed to really love it. She has asked for another in peacock blue and I admit I just happened to be on the woolly workshop website earlier and just happened to spot some cherry tree hill in a shade called ‘peacock’ and might have just happened to have bought a skein. Bad byrne but then she is my bestest friend and I’ll love doing it for her knowing that she’ll love receiving it.

Have been thinking many crafty thoughts recently – a lot of which revolve around fimo clay. Making crochet hook ends out of it. Covering cutlery handles with it. Fashioning circs with it (darling Pooch bought me some dowel rod as a kiss-and-make-up-present so I will be able to get going on my large, short circ experiment). Basically going to be a fimo weekend (I haven’t forgotten SP5 that I promised you a knitting badge from the next batch too!).

So anyway….my little sister who is 17 came and stayed the night with a 14 year old girlie mate on tues and do you know what? Neither of them had ever seen an episode of the A-team, or Dallas! How is it possible to live like that? I was trying to explain something to them and found we basically had no cultural references in common (yes, the A-team is cultural by god). They just didn’t do the 80’s at all and now they keep saying words I don’t know and everything is ‘random’ and there are specific groups of people. Chavs I knew about, pikeys I had heard of, but emo’s? Apparently they wear drainpipe trousers but there’s more to it than that and I just don’t get it. It was on this visit that the scales fell from her eyes and I have been unmasked as the ‘totally not cool older sister’ that I always feared I was.

OK, two more things. One: I got heavily into making stitch markers again but check out these little darlings….

I got the beads from ebay (where else?) and they are little glass cats. Got a couple of other things from her actually. If I can find the seller ID I will link to it but no promises. I have bought some leather cord or thong or whatever it is so I can wear them like a necklace pendant. They are just so cute.

And the second thing? No, I can't go on. Fatigue hits again. Will keep you guessing....

Pictures!

Pooch and I have just had another loving conversation that ended in swear words so I have exiled myself to the spare room and decided to blog my little heart out – for – friends – I have managed to coordinate laptop-at-home-with-camera-and-found-cable-and-have-downloaded-photos-so-can-load-them-up-tomorrow-at-work. Woo ha!

So where was I? Of course, the amazing ally pally. I seriously loved that show. I kept within budget and everything and everything I did there was fun fun fun. I started off on Thursday on the Relax and Knit stand. In fact I started there but by the time the show started I was looking after Silkwood’s stand as Les, Tess and Nic were all caught in traffic. So that was fun (and later earned me a discount on the spellbound bead co stand!). They all arrived in time poor things and started doing things properly so I beetled back to Yvonne and did a swatch in the splash stuff in rowan’s new range. I am seriously happy I never bought even one ball of this to try.
The splashy stuff is only on one side of the yarn and it really is very acrylicy. Just not good so let’s not talk about that again.

The number of pics I actually took there comes to a grand total of…..two. Yes, folks, not one, but two. The first was of Liz’s gorgeous mask that she was exhibiting on one of the stands.

And the second was of three girls in the queue for the toilet. You see they all looked so fabulous and I know they look like Sloane rangers in the making but they were actually very nice and bubbly and just looked so fabulous and exotic.

I spent hours wandering round and talking to people and bumping into lots of people I knew from blogging or other knitting events. I looked at *everything* and bought bits of almost all of it. Want to see the whole haul? Well, wait no longer….

When I first laid out this lot I just stood there and looked at it all. In fact I think ‘gloating’ is the word. I would occasionally move forward and touch something or pick something up and then carefully put it back again. This went on for quite a while. I even negotiated an evening of having it all on the table overnight with Pooch. So let’s have a look at it in more detail. Starting from the bucket shaped bag at top left…

I saw this bag last year at AP on one of the stalls and have spent a lot of time since then lamenting the fact I didn’t buy one. Can you make out all the pockets? There are tonnes. All over the outside and layered up and more inside – perfect for putting all sorts of silly things in. So what this means is that I now have a knitting bag. Yippeee! The little pots in front are red, yellow and blue kemtex acid dyes. Ooooh yeah Nickerjac, here I come in the whole dyeing thing! Have tried them out all ready but more of that later! Next we move round in a clockwise direction to….sock wool!

You can blame webof wool and Sue at …goddamn forgotten it’s name but they do lorna laces and cherry tree hill. Oooooo lovely stuff. Got some more of the Louisa Harding ribbon there too. Thinking ‘hat’ but not sure which one. And then on to….Colinette!

Yes, the Giotto got me at last. But I am really not going to attempt the colinette stand again at AP as talk about ‘scrum’. Quite nuts. Got two skeins in the monet and another one in creams and reds. Both fabulous and both crying out for me to finish the xmas knitting so I can get the hell on with stuff I actually want to do.

These are the lovely little clover bits I treated myself to. I have never actually had any clover accessories before so splurged on the chubi darning needle holder as I keep losing mine when they’re loose and a button making kit. Thing is these packets of buttons were all £4 on each stand but then was on the KCG website the other day and saw them for £3.20 and that’s pre-discount. Dear little KCG. I really must use them more. And on we go to….buttons!

I *love* buttons. No seriously. I really love buttons. I got all these ones and have been enjoying their loveliness ever since. I need to think of more to do with buttons. I just love buttons. Buttons, Mmmmm. Then…actually do you know those places where you buy something and then you try and go back there later you can’t find it? Terry Pratchett always descriobes them as ‘travelling shops’ and apparently the owner has been cursed by a wizard to potter about in time and space until something or other is in stock. That bis exactly how I would describe the Japanese fabric stall.


I got three fat quarters and here you get a better (?why?) view of the dyes as well. No, I don’t know what I’m going to do with them but I am sure something will occur to me. You can also see some of the magazines in the top left corner of that picture. I got two sandra’s and have taken out a three month subscription on the back of them. I have seen Sandra before and quite like the patterns (although admittedly am yet to knit something from one – hence only a three month sub as I want to see whether I’m getting anything from them.)

So is that it….? No wait, check out this bad boy.

A skein winder. And a really nice one too. New, wooden and spins like a dream – very balletic. And did I get any use out of it….well let me tell you!

22 balls later and I was done. So many skeins and all went so quickly and smoothly. Can’t believe I ever managed without one in the past. Combined with my ebay ball winder I was unstoppable. It was all getting a bit manic and obviously went to my head with the obvious result.

OK, am knackered and sure you can’t be arsed to read anymore so more another day….

Remember me?

I know I keep saying ‘normal service will be resumed shortly’ but Pooch tells me it is definitely next Thurs. I am so dispirited though because just to compound my misery the bloody camera cable has now legged it to parts unknown so even if I bring the cemra to work I can’t get the photos from ally pally off it to put up. WOE IS FRICKING ME etc etc

So instead of talking about how cool knitting is I am going into an aside – what you might call a

Health Warning

Calling all people who believe what nutritionists say…Carob bars taste worse than anything you can imagine. No, Mr whatever, they do not taste like chocolate. They are gross, disgusting, inedible, manky, horrible, abhorrent, abominable, appalling, awful, beastly, detestable, disagreeable, dreadful, execrable, frightful, ghastly, grim, grisly, gruesome, heinous, hideous, horrendous, horrid, loathsome, lousy, lurid, nasty, obnoxious, offensive, repellent, repulsive, revolting, scandalous, shocking, terrible, terrifying, ungodly, unholy, unkind (see dictionary.com for more suitable alternatives).And they aren’t even cheap. I got mine on ebay as no health shop had them and they were about £1.20 each. Uuuuuurrgghhhhh. Yuk.

I have decided to get quite into hats – knitted or crocheted naturally. And so have become very fond of this website. Number 7 particularly takes my fancy. I think it is because it looks mitred and all things mitred are attracting me at the moment.

OMG do you know what I’ve forgotten to say….SkipNorth is live and waiting for you. Plus there’s an ad going into SlipKnot so if you are hoping to come along book quick or I am afraid you might miss it. It’s going to be A*W*E*S*O*M*E though I say so myself!

My poor secret pal is neglected in both directions. I haven't been bigging up the person spoling me half as much as they deserve and I haven't even managed to post my first parcel off to my actual pal yet. But getting to the first person first - secret pal I love you. You know that book about dyeing (with an 'e')? I am on a second reading as I intend to put the kemtex acid dyes I bought at AP to good use this weekend. I have red, yellow and blue so am thinking of some sort of red/blue mix as I always seem to do red/yellow. I have the lovely wool my sp gave me too and...you know this mitred thing? Well I've got an idea for a felted mitred bag. Yeah baby. I'd say I'll put a photo up to let you know how it goes but I don't want to make empty promises.

*sob* Headline shock - Byrne still deprived of internet by no-good-Pooch

When I do finally get internet at home I hope you all realise I ahve about 30 photos to blog and they're all good ones so you'd better book a day's leave or something to get trhough that post.

Alexandra Palace was awesome. I know I have a tendancy to overuse this word but it really was tremendous. And even better I get to go back there tomorrow with ma mere et ma souer pour une bonne vacance mange tout mange tout. I'm not going into how much I spent but let us just say it was less than Miss Ruth was planning and was in budget! But I have never been so satisified with a shopping trip in my life. You knwo sometimes when you blow a load of doshy at an anticipated occasion you get back after and think..."Is that all I got?" (I do this all the time - I have long believed there are pixies stealing my money out of my wallet whenever I venture out on a shopping trip) Anyway this was definitely not that. Every item I got out of my 'Mojos baddass knitting' shopping bag was as wonderful as the last and I sat there gloating over the haul for ages after I got home. I'll write a fuller report once the pictures can accompany the narrative.

There have been a couple of other things going on chez-byrne during the news blackout - Pooch has got a passport and the holiday to Paris is booked for 5th Nov for 5 nights via eurostar including one day at eurodisney as I've never been to a disney attraction. And people, you don't need to tell me about the yarn shops - I'm heavily into my research. Pooch has started some online french course on ordering food except that when he was taught french at school he had the broad mancunian accent Oxford robbed him of. So now whenever he says anything in French there is this amazing manc/french fusion and he sounds a bit like a fast show sketch. I always loathed french at school but haveretained a fair bit and as long as I'm not asked to remember genders or verb declination I can generally get by. Have some french knitting patterns so must practice on those as well.

I got my start date for the new job - 26th Oct so that's good. Just a load of stuff to sort now before I move to an as yet undesignated desk. I compromised on the salary a little bit following gaining written certainties about the MBA. It won't be 'the cheapest' course I have to do and I'll get study leave when reasonable so I'm happy. It's still a 10% rise but sadly I'm not earning more than Pooch although probably that's just as well as that was causing him one or two problems in the macho-area.

I'm surethere is more that has happened but can't think off hand so let's end there. I still have a zillion UKHK emails to read plus, hold the phone, (do I mean hold the phone? I don't think so but you know what I mean - I am trying to convey drama....) I am off to see a nutritionist at 2.30. I know this is going to be a substitute-chocolate-with-cabbage moment so I have proudly eaten a very satisying bag of revels as my swan song. Anyway, I will let you know how that goes too.

And finally.......I'm really sorry I haven't been getting round to read others blogs for the last few weeks and so have been absent from comment boards. I have been too busy to do it at work (not that I ever would, oh no, not me) and with no home web it's left me missing all your news. I'm going to have abig catch up any day now, just you wait. OK Ok I'm definitely going now. Geez.

So where the hell have I been?

Well I’ll tell you. I’ve been in no-ninternet-land for what seems like years. I have been too busy to blog and too busy to even check my emails so apologies to those of you who have not heard from me. I have also been too busy still to put my photos on a computer so am still pissing you all off with a pictureless post. As a make-up-don’t-break-up effort I am supplying some websites which have recently come to my attention. It all started with My Cat Hates You which is a true representation of the cat psychology. It went on to Stuff on my Cat and has since degenerated into Cats in Sinks and now Kitten War. I promise you it can not get lower than this. Although I do not promise to keep that promise.

Have just been to a bar to meet a friend for lunch. He’s all down cause of various stuff but also managed to be late which meant I was already one cocktail up when he got there and then ordered another while we were waiting for food (fishfinger sandwich – The Social on Little Portland Street, W1 is the best place for chilling and eating while taking a pause from Oxford Street). So am now a leetle bit pissed. Now you know me, I don’t enjoy hearing about other people being drunk but I am actually quite enjoying this. You see Narinder’s back and so the pressure is off and it looks like the new job will start in about 2 weeks so everything is tickety boo except for this cough/cold combo I’ve got going on. But it’s not incapacitating me and healthwise everything else seems hunky.

Went to a wedding at the weekend. Actually you know let’s just skip to the end of this story and say the groom is being operated on today to properly close his artery and try to rejoin the tendons in his hand. Because as sad and worrying as that was something even more monumental happened on the train back – and this goes to show the skewed way I now view life. ONE OF MY DENISE NEEDLE CABLES SNAPPED. And I mean it just broke where the little black bit is supposed to sink into the blue cabley bit. And I was right in the middle of a row on an aran jumper and so have now lost a load of twists. Am well annoyed. But seem to remember those bad boys come with a lifetime guarantee so will be getting that replaced asap. Apart from that I am totally in love with my denise’s and it’s almost like straights are a thing of the past. Circular is now my default.

Did I even post a comment about my SP sending me the wickedest parcel ever? I can’t remember – yes memory still slightly screwed. But she did and may get some pictures up here sometime before the end of the year. Plus my SP recipient has surfaced and will be receiving a parcel shortly after ally pally.

OMG ally pally is so soon! Am really looking forward to it. Anyway, all this concentrating is making my eyes wobble. Just going to go and have a little lie down under my desk….weeebl weeble…