Let us commence

We will begin with the baby cardiagn which is finally finished.

It actually looks much nicer in the photo than it does in real life. I have taken badly against these colours. The yarn is from the regia brasil range and Bernie (in the office) LOVES them while I LOATHE them. Just goes to show. It's a funny old world.

My world now officially contains ATCs. These two are the first ones for the swap I have set up on swap bot. The first is 'just' textile (front then back below).

And the second (front only as the back is quite boring).

That's silk ribbon sewn trhough it that is. I have plans for lots more at the weekend and in true Byrne style have been on ebay and found a set of those holding pouches to keep what I plan to develop into a large collection in. Oh yes. (Poor pooch)

My swap bot addiction has replaced my ebay one which I guess is good in that I only have to spend minimally on the swap and there are a limited number of them. This is what I sent in my second swap - the girly box swap.

My buddy's fave colours are yellow and blue so I tried to get pampering things that were those colours. She is also a knitter so I included a couple of the postcards I was hawking on ebay. I have set up another swap for knitting magazines as I tend to buy them and then be a bit disappointed.

Poochwise things are good. Not even a cross word for almost two weeks now. Madwise things are looking sideways. I had a leetle bit of a problem 2 weeks ago (nothing to worry mum about Sian) and saw Dr P for the second time in 3 weeks to admit I'd been fibbing when I told him before that everything was fine. That man is such a dude. I have designed some intarsia socks for him and cast on last night. They will be sublime. He and I had the most amazingly frank conversation about all the hardcore side of being mad and he didn't turn a whisker with me spouting out all this stuff. In the end he recommended I cut the fluoxetine to 40mg a day and start taking 15mg mirtazapine at night. That is the one I was on about 5 years ago so I feel pretty comfy taking it. The only thing is the pharmacist only had the ones that dissolve on your tongue. They have artificial flavourings so taste OK except it wasn't til about 10am that I got any kind of proper taste back. Made my morning cuppa of hot orange squash distinctly lousy. I have to be careful and watch out for signs of seratonin syndrome as now I am taking two sources at once. Most of the symptoms sound like my normal existence though so I'm not worried.

So plans fos the bank holiday people? Mine include a massive tidying operation which includes carting about 8 bags of charity stuff to the nearest charity shop which is about 20 mins away by bus. 'How can one A Byrne be that far from a charity shop?' you ask? Yes, I know. Mistifies me too. There will also be a lot of photographing for ebay and making of ATCs and in my spare time I will be knittign profusely and planning more xmas presents. Oooooooo 3 days of time all to myself! Hoorah! Hope you all have a good one too. See you Tuesday.

ATCs and quilts (lots of photos)

I know what you're thinking - what the hell is an ATC? Is it some weird cash machine? Well click here and find out all about it and then join the associated swap. It's going to be fun!

Now let us get to sturdier matters. Let us speak of quilts and men. I've got some rather lovely photos which have mostly turned out reasonable and so this post should really be retitled 'quilt porn'.

Quilt Porn

Isn't the handbag rather cute? They had a lovely range of handles on display that I am determined to take advantage of as soon as I create a bag worthy of some.

So what did I actually splurge on (while keeping to budget)? This rather nice collection of fat quarters:

Some very cute charms:

Some quite insane felt:

Plus a load of stuff designed to make life easier if slightly more cluttered.

I have sent off my stitch markers for the first swapbot swap I've joined. This is them:

I had been saving the beads for ages to do these for me but then realised that half the time I lose them as soon as I make them and end up using a hairband so my recipient would be better off with them.

I've been doing the early waking thing - this morning at 3am with food poisoning but that's an exception - and one morning at 4am cast on a scarf modelled on Nickerjac's kits. I have collecting the motley bits for ages and this is it in close up:

Here it is on:

I cast on 100 stitches on 15mm and used about 20 rows of different bits and pieces. It is super long and I really like it even though I can see that some of the rows don't quite work. It is astonishingly warm as well although I think there's only 3 rows of wool in it. People not wanting to end up with a weird version should hot foot it to Woolly Workshop to buy one of Nic's kits as she really is a goodess when it comes to colour (and many other things of course!). Actually i can't see them there at the mo but hop over to her blog and maybe she'll sell you one direct.

Yarn Porn

Look away now people. Actually before I get going the people that do this amazing stuff have a waiting list. If you email them and ask to be put on it they will email you about 24 hours before more stock goes on sale. They are really good about postage too and the yarn was packed perfectly.

Sadly I can't remember what all these are called but baby....who cares....

Coming Pooch's way we have:

Originally intended for Robbie but due to some over zealous knitting (I was enjoying knitting it so much I went a bit crazy on the foot length of my first toe-up effort) for Sian's extra-sized boyf Brown.

Possibly the Robbie replacement is a zingier shade of green....

Or maybe this in blue and pale cream....

And then am I not worth it? One for me....

Oh yeahhhhhhhh baby.

Here they are again all cuddling each other.


There is something really rather dirty about how much I like this yarn. Maybe if I did stashalong more often I'd appreciate all my yarn like this. Speaking of which my sister Sian took the piss at the weekend whenI turrned up with a felted bag on each shoulder and queried why I didn't just make a bigger bag. From the mouth of babes etc etc... So have finally tucked into that stash of DB Maya I got half price about 18 months ago. One large bag in deep reds with metallic threads and sequins woven in coming this way.

I also of course was at Festival Of Quilts on Friday (sorry about not meeting up with the blogger posse but only saw your email on saturday) but will write a separate report about that when have calmed down a bit.

No wait I forgot...

SNAKES ON A PLANE

You just have to go see this movie. It is better than sock-hop-sock-yarn. Maybe.

SSsssssssock-hop sock yarn

I really shouldn’t blog without pics but I’m just so excited. I picked up my order of sock-hop yarn from the post office this morning. Before the bus had come I had opened the box to cop a feel. It is BEAUTIFUL. I can’t remember now which was for who but frankly it doesn’t matter now because it is mine all mine!!!!!! No, not really. This folks is the wool responsible for near bankrupting me but my god it was worth it. Oooooo

WARNING: Do not follow this link if you have similar willpower to me. DANGEROUS_LINK (you'll need to scroll down once you get to the page as the formatting has gone skew wiff)

Every ball of wool starts with a sheep shearer

This is something SPM had in one of her books. You can't get wool without a person taking a sheep and shearing it by hand because there aren't any machines that can do this properly. I think that's kind of nice.

Have a headache today. Still not caught up ons leep from the weekend and work is just one disaster after another. Fortunately I don't mean that what I am doing is a disaster it's just stuff like....

• CEO blaming everyone apart from himself for stuff
• Directors arguing publicly about policy
• Scorecards being actively avoided by senior staff
• Gossip flying about inconsistencies and favouritism
• Bitching in the lunch room
• People leaving phones to ring and ring and ring and ring and ring....

This last one is the most annoying as if there is one thing that annoys me it is ringing phones. Nails on a blackboard? Fine. Ringing phone? Dear God no.

Knitting as always makes everything seem better and here we have the coco bag base with stitches picked up around the edges on something like a 48" denise needle which is blatantly more than twice as long as would be useful.

Now the thing about denise needle sets is that you get lots of different length cords and you get lots of different size needles and you can slot them all together. This all comes in a nice box and everyone who gets one insists they will keep everything in the box and not leave bits lying about to get lost. This is my box.

You will notice the complete dearth of cables, no cable ends (should be 4), no connectors (should be two) and 4 pairs of needle ends missing. Hmph. A quick raid later and the situation was not much improved.

But at least I had a cable suitable for the bag so I did about 20cm of body last night alternating the orange and pink/red wools every 2/3 rows.

Here is a belated pic of the cotton mix socks from the yarn I got in Philadelphia (I think).

Note the pointy toes. I love socks with pointy toes and generally always make them like this. It makes them extra fun! I haven't worn these yet as I've still got to sew up the second one. I'm a bit worried they mgiht be a bit tough on the byrne-tootsies as cotton can be a bit unforgiving but will wait and see.

Now I am being a very good stashalong type person but I was on Taj yarns website (ONLY TO UPDATE MY ADDRESS ON A MAG SUBSCRIPTION) and saw these. Aren't they lovely? Keep scrolling down for the girlie ones but the cats are lovely too.

Stashalong - am so proud

It is all going rather nicely chez stash at the moment. I haven't been tempted to spend at all even when I spied a whole pile of vintage knitting mags at a shop a weekend or so ago. Mind you, having no cash is bound to be some help. However, I do seem to have gained a new compulsion which is signing up for swaps at swap-bot.

The latest one I have joined is the magic yarn ball which just sounds like an excellent idea. You get a ball of yarn and rewind it wrapping in all sorts of little goodies and fun things. You can see pictures of previous ones here. Aren't they lovely? I love the idea of unwrapping and the before/after usefulness.

In case anyone feels similarly drawn I have also joined...Mark those Stitches (sign up deadline is tomorrow), Felt Pin Fantasy Swap and What's In A Purse. Some are US only but most are worldwide.

The weekend was a little bit oooo, a little bit ahhhhh, but thanks to you all for your comments and emails. Thw weird thing is Pooch and I really love each other and don't mean to keep hurting each other (I give as good/bad as I get, let's be honest). Anyway...

I was talking about stashalong. Last night I delved into the stash and cast on The little Coco bag. Is going to be orange and red striped althought he colours are both cascade 220 quatro so are a kind of plied tweed effect. The stripes won't be that noticeable. Photos soon....

Hum.

Somebody asked CAP whether she ever worried about the ex reading her blog and she replied that she was sure he didn't. However, it is different for me because I know Pooch uses my blog to see how things are with me from time to time. So there are things I want to write about that I don't because of not wanting him to see them. I tried keeping a diary again but it has never really satisfied me and it seems dumb to keep one when the only time you use it is when you have boy-bovver. It's not exactly a good record of your life when that's the case.

From this it might be apparent that domestic bliss didn't last long chez byrnepooch. People who read this keep emailing me to tell me he's basically a shit. But then he gets annoyed about that because he says they only have my side of the story and so it all reinforces however I describe things. Which is fair comment but does assume I'm biased, which of course I am. But am I completely self-deluded as well? Do I really have such unreasonable expectations of behaviour and attitude or is he actually unreasonable? I have been in relationships before where these kind of things wouldn't have been done or tolerated.

Is every relationship a never ending story of angst and emotional suffering where you constantly question whether someone can really think that what they just did/said is reasonable. Do other relationships cause one half to question whether their whole view of life is wrong because if what is being said is true it must be. Or that one person has unreasonable views on what is or isn't acceptable when, applying the usual social norm that it's normal til someone tells you it's weird, no one ever thought so before.

What do you do when your partner thinks you are complete irrational and unreasonable as well as being slightly mental when at the same time you have this tiny fear inside you that maybe you are being totally cuckoo and you just haven't realised it yet. Can I really be being totally unreasonable without realising? Without anyone realising. Without anyone thinking to mention it. Have any of you held back from mentioning it because you thought someone else would have done?

How to look good naked

Did anyone else see this programme last night? It gave me pause for thought. The conclusion of my thinking was rude words in Pooch's general direction.

I am fricking gorgeous and anyone who gets to see me naked is damn lucky.

Love me, love my belly.

If...

If your boyfriend/fiance/husband told you he found you less attractive now than when you met because you had put on some weight what would you do? Do let me know. Am trying to work out what 'reasonable force' would mean in such a situation.

I have been waking up horribly early recently and so was about to witness this little spectacle on the grass outside our living room. It went on for quite some time but I don't want to bore you or anything.

Have been knitting squares for iknit and his river project. Decided to use novelty yarn as I don't normally go near it so here we have...

... top right is some sort of weird eyelash that just has lashes on one side and knits up a bit like velvet. At the bottom is some of your wendy magic or something like that. Then the left is the weirdest one which defies description. But they all knit up pretty quickly and are blue so they meet my requirements.

Xmas and gift knitting continues at a good pace. Here we have three lost of sock yarn. The grey/borwn are for Pooch's Dad. The bright stripe bottom right is a baby cardigan. And then the

Little hint on the top right is some stuff I hand dyed for someone and the second sock of which will be cast off as soon as I finish this blogging. Thanks god. Am quite sick of them. In fact as I mentioned before I was thinking about jazzing things up a bit with some crazy cables and so started doodling.

It's not much to look at but is an idea. I knit my socks flat so from that point of view its easier to plot a design onto them.

I'm thinking about makign my Mum this for xmas but I'm not really sure if she'd like it. Sian - if you happen to be dropping by let me know what you think.

Has anyone else knit it? It's from the Scarf Style book.

I have had some green/blue 4-ply wool from silkwood for about 2 years maybe now - since just after I started blogging in fact. It was also the first time I met nickerjac. I prize this highly as I love the colours but I've never been sure what to do with it. Thinking along the same lines as the woollywormhead hat I have decided on a freeform bag in spirals which I think show the colours off rather nicely. I think I will felt it but I need to see how that turns out first before doing anything hasty.

Aren't they lovely? Well, I think they are!

I have been spending rather a lot of time with my stash recently - generally sorting and caressing it, as you do. So Pooch resorted to some drastic action to try and get my attention. This is the hound-dog himself cuddling up to a bag of stash with some of it artistically arranged over his head.

I believe his plan was to get me to lie on the bed to hug the stash and end up having to hug him too. He's devious.

Giving blood followed by knitting group tomorrow so another action packed day. Think there might be some work or something to fit in inbetween but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

LOUISE CAMERON - LOVING YOUR STYLE

You see Louise is one of the greatest people ever to have walked the earth as well as my best mate and was joking about how i should write more about her.

On to other news. I have signed up for stashalong. Many of you will think this is well, well overdue. And basically you would be right. So my promise....

Not to buy any yarn, patterns, books, needles or anything knitting or crochet related for 1 month.

I think committing to not buy yarn has got me a bit confused as I have cast on about 4 different things in the last 4-5 days. All small things like socks and baby clothes but still, I have knit anxiety.

No photos today as haven't finished anything. But let us just revel in the fact that I am now a stashalong stashee and repeat after me "It will all be OK."

Stash and cash

Put togethee the new stash box at the weekend and very lovely it looks too. BUT. Not everything fits into it. Man, I have way too much yarn. Was looking at A Mingled Yarn and she showed her stash which was micro. How does she manage that? Because she knits like a dervish.

The blue bag and paper carrier bag are what is left over that won't go in. Here is the box content all snuggled up warmly together.

I've been knitting socks something like a dervish myself recently. Here is a detail of the slipstitch rib pair I made Pooch.

And very happy he is with them too. I dyed the red yarn especially for him. I've also knit one of Tom's pair and almost done one of a pair of xmas socks: probably heading to Pooch's Dad.

This burst of xmas knitting is because I am really enjoying one of SPM's book where she tells a tale about xmas knitting and how desperate it all gets before the deadline dawns. All night knitting and so on. Ghastly. I will not be doing that. Oh no!

The Pooch-Byrne reunion went very nicely on saturday night. We had dinner with friends round and they all welcomed me back. On sunday the two of us conspired to make pot au chocolat which were thoroughly villainous in their loveliness.

MmmmmMmmmm, baby. A Rick Stein recipe and not at all fishy.

Am missing knitting group tomorrow because Freddie and Becky are up. Still no idea what to do with them but I'm hoping they'll have some ideas. I am making up for it though by getting my work colleagues to start knitting. In a terribly tedious tale we have got new phones that are portable and people have asked for holsters (yes, my colleagues are needy and helpless). I've also had requests for knitting lessons so in a slight of hand I have offered lessons that result in your own felted knitting pocket for attaching to a belt or use with a shoulder strap. Isn't life just weird? If only I could actually knit all day and just get paid for that instead of trolling about here with balanced scorecards and similar yuck.

Pah.

The other part of today's title is 'cash' which is what I have none of. I only got paid a week ago and am already worryingly broke. I am such a schmuk. I have downloaded crazy aunt purl's budget and my bank statements for the last 3 months (isn't it great that you can download bank statements and then re arrange them in excel - so handy). The thing is work have jut decided to start offering sabbaticals to peeps such as me and I really think 3 months would be about the right length of time to take off for. But this means I need to save 3 months rent and bills plus spending money. I have always been awful with money but the last couple of months have really brought it home to me. There's so much I could do if I just spent wisely and stopped stockpiling 'stuff'. Pooch got a whopping payrise yesterday and we want to buy a house. Need to get thinking and work out what my priorities are really.

I have a yarn problem

I just found myself on cpu-enterprises stalking sirdar snuggly for a baby blanket. Geez. I did it without thinking.

I was actually thinking about this last night. I buy things in order to do them later. I then end up having to sit amongst all my hasty purchases long after the desire to do XYZ has passed. Doing a bit of self-analysis this could be put down to a couple of different things.

• Addicted to shopping
• Forget already have X zillion things to do
• Bored and entertains me to do this (see 1)
• Fear of having nothing to do

There are probably more. It's the last one that worries me a little. Therapist Louise has gone AWOL so I'm having to do my own diagnosis which is always a bit suspect because my diagnosis is inevitably 'lacking in chocolate'.

Popped in on my SP recipient yesterday and she is very sweet. She has made good use of the bits I sent her last time. I was thinking there would be two more parcels but now I think it will be one bumper one in a week or two plus the big unveiling.

SkipNorth will be 9-11 March 2007. You heard it here first! I will let you know when the website is updated and I have more information. Will be able to take bookings within the next month I should think.

Fairisle madness

I just did the tiniest bit of fairisle for some socks and now it haunts my thoughts... The following is the result of a particularly painful meeting yesterday plus the investment in a squared notebook. Hours of fun.

It started innocently enough with the idea of a really simple hugs and kisses theme band.

Which became...

Then I started thinking about the short row fairisle in the loop-d-loop book and how cool it looked to see a conventional, familiar design twisted a little. So then I started thinking, as I am sure many have done before me, does the band really need to be straight?

Turn your attention to top and bottom right. Of the two the bottom would be easier but then the top does look rather fun. I guess the answer might be to start with a front and then see how that goes before attempting the back. Any thoughts, wise readers?

I did a bad thing today. Actually this leads on to a bigger issue. My obsession with knitting has reached really quite cosmic proportions. I just don't think about anything else. Maybe this will calm down again once I am returned to the bosum of my stash on saturday but it does worry me a little. You see I asked to be notified when sock hop was back in stock (scroll down the page). Helen had some and that stuff is just beautiful. I got an email last night saying it would be available from thursday morning west coast. I am english, right. I do not know what time a west coaster would consider to be 'morning' although I was hoping it would be about 3am as that is when I first went online to see if the link was live yet. And I refreshed. And refreshed, and you get the picture.

It didn't go live til 3pm.....

By then I was a bit overexcited and let's just say that the issue of whether I am going to splurge on a spinning wheel this month is definitely an issue no longer. Let's also say that I've got the yarn I need for my xmas socks. It's just so darn beautiful. May I be forgiven but just look at this. Handspun, plied, plus machine washable? Who could not fall for it?

My secret pal hostess has posed the following question for us to blog about...

Someone has stolen your stash and all your books: now what are you going to do?

Jesus, Mary and Joseph.....someone stole my stash? Holy crap - call the cops, call the fire brigade, I need 5cc morphine and a chocolate drip STAT.

In fact, and this is even worse, I have the plymouths and some crochet hooks at Alex3's and have some sock yarn from both the sockhop site and ebay, god, AND CPU enterprises (link in menu on left) in the post AND I have three zimmermann books coming my way AND the yarn harlot's book arrived today and I also have vogue-shawls-to-go in the post so I'd be OK for a day or two. You see what I mean about it becoming an obsession. Where is that counter website thing. I'm so going to not spend anything else on knitting until.....after the festival of quilts on 18 August. (I can hear the stashalong people groaning and saying stuff like "big wow").

Take that, knitting addiction!

Feel so lonely now.

Just me and my stash.

If ever I worry about the size of it I just think about Yvonne and her using the space under the bath to store yarn as everywhere else is full. Now that is impressive.

Photo....

Stephanie Pearl McPhee

This post is dedicated to SPM because she is wicked. I am rereading her "At knit's end" which is a fantastic book. Every page bring more truth, humour and knitting reality. For example...

"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources" (Einstein)

Under this SPM has written a wonderful paragraph about hiding your stash around the house. So true.

Actually in trying to find bits to quote you basically have to copy out the whole page in order to get it to make sense. This is because it is worthy writing rather than some little soundbite thing. Every page makes me laugh. So I have ordered her other two books! In fact I've had a bit of an amazon blitz and ordered vogue shawls to go too. It's that one on the cover - it fascinates me.

I'm finding it really hard to concentrate this evening. The trip to Ikea last night (got a new wool box) only ended at about 11.15 and I didn't sleep well because of the heat. Plus I'm on my second of three potential episodes of murder she wrote - now I remember why I don't have sky. It just wouldn't be safe. It melts the brain. And its so fricking hot! OK, I give in I try not to complain about it being hot because I hate being cold so much but ENOUGH!!!! Jesus H Christ on a bicycle, as my mother has been known to say.

I have seen the photos from the jump on sunday and have one on order so should be able to share it soon. Note to self - sort this out.

I was in bristol today for a meeting and did some shopping for my SP and also my mini sister who is going to be a massive 18 in 2 weeks. I don't know how she got so old (SO old, oh yeah) so quickly. AND she is such a looker, must take after me fnah fnah. But peeps, would anyone out there over 28 and 3 weeks know what rhcp meant if you received it in a text as a birthday present request - wait for it..........
......
.............
red hot chilli peppers. Took me three days. Geez. I'm getting old.

I distinctly recall thinking of loads of pithy things to write here when I was on the air conditioned train but they've melted out of my ears.

Yeah, so. Um. Bye.

Fat free?

I don’t want to be ungrateful but if you buy me an ice cream from the shop on the corner as a surprise please don’t make it a fat free ice lolly. Dude, if you’ve got something to say then just say it... *

;p

I did that crazy 1000ft slide yesterday and got nicely sunburnt in the process. I will have photos but not for a few days as I am off to Bristol tomorrow for the most boring of meetings. One good thing about this is that I will get a chance to catch up on th idiocy that is byrne. I impetuously started a baby cargigan yesterday after seeing Pooch's preggers cousin's wife at the wedding and basically it would only fit an extremely premature baby. Going to rip it on the way home (hello fellow tube travellers - not just knitting on the tube but unravelling knitting on the tube) and redo it on bigger needles and twice the size.

I am very excited because I am off to Ikea tonight with Alex (Alex 3 or Alex Mead as he is known. Confusingly to the gang he is Boy Alex whereas for me BoyAlex is Alex Connor. Despite being Alex 2 he is never referred to as such. I, naturally, do not need a descriptor to distinguish me fnah fnah). Have been trying to think why ikea is so good but it's really just that you can get insanely practical things in weird colours and materials for £2. What more could I want?

Am moving back to the Pooch pad on sat/sun. Got to rush home and make the most of my chill out time til then.

*and it was a fruit derivative - do I like like I eat fruit?

Scorchio!

I love that word. Anyway, before I forget go and look at this. Hilarious. It waa reviewed on the knitters review newsletter. If you're not getting this weekly email you should think about signing up as the woman who does it writes really well and it is always interesting.

OK, to business. Guess who was lucky enough to get another SP parcel?! Oh yeah. Guess who's unlucky enough not to have found their camera? So on the dodgiest 'borrowed' office camera here is what we have...

The labels hopefully say it all. Except they don't indicate just how excellent it all is.

Sun print paper - oh yeah.

Close up of the light-spitting-lizard. I now have this lizard attached to my security fob that hangs round my neck all day at work. It just brightens my day no end having a lizard attached to my neck.

So once again my SP plays another blinder and is to be worshipped from afar. It's just a shame I can't do justice to the things with better pictures.

In other I'm-so-spoilt news look what I got for my brithday. These are really rather special. Like butter. I took them to knitting group last night and a certain lady just sat there stroking them. A - you so have to go buy them. You absolutely deserve and NEED these needles. Just think of the space you'll save when travelling. Many thanks to Tom for these!

There has been quite a lot going on with byrne these last few weeks. Let's just review some of the highlights....

• Pooch and I are more or less sorted out as this break from each other has been really helpful in remembering why we miss each other and why we got together in the first place. I'll be moving back in in a week or two.
• I knitted a pair of socks in a weekend (actually intended for Mr Pooch) and for the first time used 2 colours. The leg part is striped and has a slip stitch rib every 5th stitch which gives them a nice smudged effect.
• Having startedmy journey into 2-colour socks I just turned the heel on another pair which, wait for it, use fairisle around the tops to make little red hearts. They really are rather sweet!
• I counted and if I wanted to go all out I need 12 pairs of socks for xmas. So let's not be stupid and call it 6.
• The epic aran for my step-dad now has half a sleeve and a back (or front, depending on how dedicated I feel). I just don't know if I can face doing a whole cabled front/back again as it took SO much effort and about 11 months of on/off knitting.
• SkipNorth 2007 will be going ahead. We will be back in Haworth and I'm sorting out the date next week hopefully. Nickerjac is co-hosting again. It should be wicked bad and even better than last year. Watch this space for more info on the date and cost. This year will include an 'upgrade' package where you can choose to stay in the hotel across the road instead of the hostel dorms.
• The NWKTog group will be doing the london bridge walk in September. Feel free to sponsor us online! We'll be knitting as we walk. No, seriously.

This weekend I am off to Pooch's sister's wedding which should be rather nice. Looks like it will cool down a bit too which is a blessing as I hear it was 37 degrees here yesterday and of course it has been up to 50 (!) on tubes and buses which is just insane.

Hope everyone has a good weekend. Especially my SP who is just fab!

Favourite quote

There is a guns and roses song called 'civil war' from which comes my favourite ever quote. I know, but it just is. As well as the words there is the inflection in the voice when it is said. Ready?

"What we have here is a failure to communicate."

It doesn't quite have the same impact written like that, but it does yet again seem to apply. I have been discriminated against. There has been a general misunderstanding. People meant well but assumed wrongly. Because you see..

Lots of the people around me thought my dissatisfaction with my relationship and the resulting troubles were because I was getting depressed again. But no one came out and said this to me, apart from Pooch. It just turns out that when I've checked they mostly say "Yeah, well, I did assume that but if you're not then that's great" or something similar.

Just because you had cancer doesn't mean that the only reason your hair falls out is because you're having chemo. People go bald the same as 'normal' people get annoyed.

Anyway, normal service will be resumed soon, as soon as I find my camera.