I think I am scared of my blog, or something

I think it's since I've been editing my 2005 entries to make them into a blog book through blurb.com. I keeping thinking about what stuff used to be like and how what is on here has a meaning although I'm not quite sure what that meaning is. It has contributed to me getting 'a thing' about blogging. I used to have a thing about Independence Day (the film). I still have a think about crouching tiger hidden dragon. I have it unwatched. And as a sign of how long this particular thing has been around it's a video. I have to blog to break the 'thing' but I keep putting it off. I'm hoping to fully hammer it to bits by posting two posts at once. Woo yeah!

So this post is going to focus on the amazing blanket the golders green group have given me. Here it is complete...

And here we are looking at each and every bit individually...

Woo hoo!

No diggidy no doubt, no PC no podcast

Hmph. Pooch blowing up the pc has meant I've lost my podcast template. And I can't download my interview with the socktopus. And I can't download blurb.com's software on the mac. Gosh darn.

So anyway, no podcast. Bleh.

Have been knitting like a demon on this hat.

Like a little spiderman. It doesn't look so good on my knee - note to self, have a baby.

Also took some time out to make some button jewellery. Have been cruising craftster.org for inspiration and came up with this:

Which looks odd but I really like it!

Also another plainer bracelet.

Dedicated to CraftyPod

I sometimes think I don't say often enough how much I adore this podcast. It is awesome. In fact I'm thinking of making the tagline to my own podcast "It's not CraftyPod, but I like it".

The most recent episode was this woman who made her blog into a book. Now for me this is very timely. I have been thinking over the last few weeks how I've stopped keeping diaries in favour of blogging (and also because they were either boring or depressing). But it does mean that the only record of my activities is online and I'm beholden to blogger.com continuing to host it forever more. So I tootled over to her blog and saw that it truly is something worth keeping and also saw a couple more links on craftypod about how to do it.

So the summary of that last paragraph is that I went over to Blurb.com and downloaded their free software which, wait for it, makes a book out of your blog for free. I tried to do the whole blog in one book but it was over 400 pages (!) so have opted to start with 2005 and see how that goes. Is very easy to use and got the hang of it within 5 minutes. I am about 100 pages into my 7x7" blog book. One of the really good things has been re-reading posts past. Certainly lots to reflect on...

Have been doing bits and pieces of knitting this week so not much to report. A belated photo of Pooch's hat mark 2.

And some non-knitting for once. My purse was just about falling apart and so I went on Craftster and found a tutorial for a new one. Minimal sewing and very quick to do. Sewing on the popper took longer than making the main body. Have been using it all week and am really happy with it!

I do really like sewing but rarely do any nowadays that isn't mending. Made a nice change although naturally nothing beats a bit of knitting.

Oh god oh god oh god oh god

Would someone just give me a fricking job based in london that will be even vaguely interesting? Here follow some of the things I am good at but that by themselves don't seem to form any kind of profession:

• Project Management (I am a fully qualified PRINCE2 Practitioner - but this doesn't seem to count as I haven't yet had a chance to work on a PRINCE2 project or one with a budget more than £100k). Good with MS Project.
• Organising things. Anything - strategic overhauls, christmas parties, training courses, holidays, exhibitions, schedules, operational change etc etc
• Getting things done. I am completely A1 at getting things to happen faster than you thought they would.
• Public speaking. Small groups, large groups, auditoria full. CEOs, post-room boys, corporate, academic, not-for-profit. Subjects I know lots about, subjects I know little about, with slides, without slides. It's all good.
• Training - IT, soft skills, anything.
• IT - am the daddy of most Office software. Have developed websites, understand html, at a push can still remember some FORTRAN 90 (anyone who knows what that is can stop sniggering right now - it was useful once upon a time!). Photoshop. My speciality is fixing temperamental office printers/photcopiers.
• Adaptable - can turn my hand to most things.
• Flexible - travel not a problem (more knitting time - right?), hours not a problem (as long as averages as 40ish a week)
• Calm in a crisis. Patient with the passionate. Idyllic with the irritated. Afterall, I have a blog to moan on if someone is annoying me.
• Creative thinking. You want someone to think off at a tangent? That's me.

So come on...surely someone has got a job for me?
Meanwhile, knitting continues chez Byrne.

This volumous mass is the back of the fairisle jumper being knitted with proper shetland and evenything. I think it is waaaaaaaay too big but am going to leave it to 'mature' and then see what I think. Also, in the same way that the-car-behind-you-is-always-closer-than-they-appear-in-the-mirror, I am always somewhat fatter than I remember so you never know. I might have grown into it.
I realise I still haven't blogged about the wondrous UK Stitch and Bitch day last weekend. It was really really good. Much more like a gathering of friends than the mass of heaving shoppers to be found at ally pally. Much kudos to the IKnit boys and associates for their work and I'm very pleased to see they will be doing another one next year.
I spotted some tiny skeins of opal on one stand - I think it was Get Knitted.

Very cute but not quite sure what you were supposed to do with it.
The Shellac Sisters were there playing records (I seemed to know all the music they were playing which was odd). This particular sister was wearing a knitted dress that was just the most amazing thing I've seen. She very bravely submitted to my photographing her for which I'm very grateful!

The Dutch knitters tables were very well attended, in part because of the yummy food they had brought with them. They also had some amazing objects. Look at these mittens in blue and white:

I looked at them very carefully and I swear there wasn't a stitch out of place on either one. They really were beautifully made.
There was an amazing diversity of people at the show - proportionally loads more men than I saw at ally pally and the average age was much lower too. I suspected some were boyfriends dragged along but then saw these two getting down to some stitching and so revised that.

Of course one man was certainly not going to be caught there...he stayed home perfecting his pose for when he becomes a conservative MP.

So what did I buy? Well....I made a major investment in natural dye studio silk. I couldn't help it.

I plan a pacific waves shawl starting with the blue at the top and working my way down through the colours.
Also some lovely vintage patterns from the KCG Stand.

Some ToeFootSies sock yarn for me and my secret pal

And finally what started as this...

With free stitchmarker stuck on with a sticker...how cool is that?

and unwrapped into...

Mmmmm. I also met up with Alice (who I keep thinking of as "The Socktopus" but in a nice way) on the following sunday and did an interview for the podcast which I hope you'll all like (should be out next weekend).
Thought SkipNorth had suffered a set-back when our home PC went for a burton and stopped working at the weekend. Fortunately I've got the spreadsheet back so those who have booked in the last few days will be receiving a confirmation from me shortly. There are still places but book soon to avoid disappointment...
So finally - a double whammy. Cupcake calendar AND a pithy quote.

PS: Don't forget about that job

On a day like today...

This year has been a bit different for me as I now have a soldier practically in the family. It's brought it all much closer than before. So, yes, there is a lot to say about the Stitch and Bitch day yesterday but for today I'm just going to leave people with the image above. If you haven't already done so you can donate to the Royal British Legion here.

Case of mistaken identity

Did anyone else think this was the same woman who played Juliet opposit Leonardo di Caprio's Romeo?

Wow, should have seen that one before. 3 x-men films? I thought she'd changed quite a lot. Only twigged when went to see Stardust.

Cute stuff all over

The cutest first....

Isn't he adorable? This is of course Pete wearing quite the snazziest handknit tank top I've ever seen. Spent yesterday in Romford with Nic and Andy who are both well. The pics are a little blurred as I didn't want to put my flash right in his face so you can't exactly see what he's holding onto - but it is the skeleton called Jack from the night before christmas! Andy got it for him the other day and Pete is obviously very attached to it already. Pete does this amazing thing where he looks at you with as if he's got his eyebrows raised and his expression seems to indicate that you've just performed a social gaffe. It's how I imagine oscar wilde would have looked if he'd come across a modern chav. It is terribly sweet and makes me laugh each and every time. Of course he also has the most lovely smile...

I had a lovely time in Romford and Nic and I managed to find a few crafty goodies along the way. Here's my haul:

There is a copy of 'Knitting' magazine there because, as I only found out after Nic spotted it, I am in it.

Above Lime & Violet! Not that I care about stuff like that of course. Ahem.

There have also been other goodies coming into the marital home - the latest parcel from my SP arrived! Woo ha!

The soap has reall loofah in it which I think is rather exciting. These especially caught my eye - aren't they cute!

I am a firm believer that one can never have to many stitchmarkers. And these ones are especially cute!

The yarn in the pic is Shiladair in a beautiful red but there was also one other skein - Dream in Colour Classy in blue lagoon.

Mmmmmmmmm. I was fingering this stuff in either IKnit or the 'other' shop on thursday but dragged myself away. Now I know it was the right decision! (The postcard under it is the portrait of Charlie Chaplin by Lee Miller. Amazing.)

I know what you're thinking - there's already been so much good stuff in this post. How much more can she possibly pack in? Well... the results of my dyeing have been making it into cake form.

I particularly liked some of the cotton. I'm just hoping the colours survives a wash - test swatch at the ready.

And finally two finished objects. A thick and robust scarf...

...and a pair of mittens.

The mittens are from Knitting Nature which is a really lovely book. They only took 3 hours from start to finish. Can see myself making them again in the future.

Just before I go things are hotting up for SkipNorth (knitting holiday extraudinaire!). We've got 17 people booked already with about a third of those being people who haven't been before. Lots of others have told me that you intend to book soon but don't leave it too long! Once the places are gone they're gone.