No More Shopping

I swear this is my last splurge. For the first time in aeons I took myself down to Brick Lane. If you have any interest in vintage clothes and are in london I would recommend Beyond Retro. There are now several branches, including one just off Oxford Street, but the one in Shoreditch takes some beating. Behold the spoils...

My goal was 'office wear'. This little jacket seemed to tick boxes. Light enough for warm weather, smart yet quirky, aubergine coloured, right size. It was coming home with me. Next up...

This dress is one of those that proves one of the key rules of vintage shopping - you just can't tell from looking at it on a hanger. On the hanger in the shop it looked like a big lumpy bag of a thing. It also said it was a size 4. Once on it looks like some lovely little french number - perfect for wearing with low heels and an up-do. Possibly some little black framed glasses perched on the nose? I don't have any but...you know. I love the unnecessary button detailing.

Then finally I slipped. This does not fall within my shopping remit but....BUT....IT'S RED POLKA DOT.

Again, this looked very odd on the hanger and had some *enormous* shoulder pads which are now languishing in the bin. I may take an inch or two off the length but look at those pockets! Perfect for keeping kittens and other such equipment in.

My final purchase is what I may well wear to my sister's wedding in December and is not of the 'vintage' variety. As well as more vintage than you can believe there are lots of little designer boutiques and young designer pop-ups and so on in the area. This one is from The Laden Showroom where there are lots of little niches and each niche is a different designer. It's well priced too - plus there is a sale on!

It's a very dark maroon thin stripe corduroy wrap dress with a black cotton sash. It has proved almost impossible to photograph but you get the idea.

In between all this activity I've been beavering away on this.

I actually woke up at 7 this morning and had the armhole and v-neck steeks stitched and cut by 8.30am. By 10 I'd joined the shoulders, sewn down the steeks and steamed it all flat. Neck line and armholes will begin at the Romford knitting group this afternoon. I got most of the patterns and all the inspiration from my sister's xmas present to me - Alice Starmore's Charts for Color Knitting. Excellent book - even if they have misspelt it.

My next jumper is going to be using one of her all-over designs. So inspiring- I do like fairisle. 

I got an exciting email last night from a friend I've blogged about before who is am AMAZING textile artist. It opens up several avenues of fun and as a hint as to what one of them is I leave you with this video she has made. It is only a minute long and very beautiful.

New header

I am going to leave it as it is for a while to remind me that "standard" size is not always the "right" size.

 

On the 10th day of Christmas...

As well as all my other lovely presents I got a bit of money and so decided to invest in a proper sewing box. It arrived yesterday!

I was slightly shocked at how orange the wood is. The picture suggested more of a pale ash coloured veneer but then we all know those warnings about monitor colours. Besides, it has grown on me.

I've tried to be terribly organised and give everything a proper place.

I know it won't last though! I had thought of covering it in stickers - like the sewing machine.

But somehow it looks a bit too prim and proper to be stickered.

I thought Angry Kitty looked like she needed some cheering up so I stopped off at Thorntons on the way home to find her a friend.

He didn't seem to make her any less angry so I ate him. Let's face it - he had it coming.

The man in the shop asked me what name I wanted on it. "Angry." I replied. He slowly raised one eyebrow. "This is someone's name?" he said. "More of their state of mind" was my reply.

Traditional Christmas

Christmas at Mater's is a strictly traditional affair. There is a strong hint of the Victorian while food is at Edwardian, or possibly even Henry VIII, standard.

One of my favourites are Marzipan Fruit.

Nom. Mum even put them on the Christmas Cake.

Since I was born this amazingly retro crib has played a large part of the festivities.

I decided this year that the lamb wanted a better view so stuck him on top of the ox. Seemed fair enough to all concerned.

Things were enlivened by El Diablo.

She has fads. Her latest is sitting on the backs of armchairs instead of anywhere flatter. This would be fine but she has awful balance. She wobbles back and forth like a ship at sea. And when she jumps down she jumps from the back to the arm and then to the floor. Except last time she kind of missed the arm and belly flopped to the ground. Dignity is not a friend to this cat.

I got some lovely presents including the new Alice Starmore chart book but then I also got...

Just what I always wanted - me in wood form. I'm going to tuck it into the 'guest' side of the bed tonight. I've been thinking of naming her. I don't generally approve of naming inanimate objects but I'm thinking "Betsy". As in "heavens to". My dad made it for me from a paper template I made. It's varnished and everything so wet blocking will be a breeze. Hoopla!

Christmas

Merry Christmas to you all.

I see the Pope has condemned the commercialisation and 'glitter' of christmas. I know what he means, but sometimes people need a little glitter in their lives.

Thumbs eh?

I never realised how much i used my right thumb until I started getting what I suspect is RSI. I've moved my mouse to my left side at work but it's still getting worse. I suspect it is my iphone. Very annoying.

Despite this I was successful in completing a Fat Kittie yesterday. Mine is an angry kitty.

Each time I look at him I smile so it seems to be working quite well.

I finished the first of my lovely socks the other day.

I do love how it has turned out. Which brings me onto a touchy point. I have not yet packed any other knitting to take down to Mater's. One sock is not going to last me five days.

There were some very good points made in comments on my last post. I guess Christmas is always going to be a difficult time. I'm really looking forward to heading off in...eeek! Too few hours. I'd better go and pack.

It Only Takes a Minute...

I have brung myself low.

I was clearing out old emails today and found one from Pooch which ended with "I love you Byrnington". Instead of pressing delete and moving on I lingered which dug the foundations of the hole (I know what I mean) and it then got deeper as the day wore on.

Steve from work (not only mentioned as an excuse to show a gratuitous santa shot again since it is indeed he) has been talking about buying a house with his wife. I am very happy for them. BUT...

It also reminds me once again of how close I was to buying a flat with Pooch, having a baby with Pooch, having security with Pooch...when all of a sudden I overhear a conversation and it's "Syonara". Of course it wasn't 'all of a sudden' but that's for dramatic effect and so the plot doesn't get bogged down in detail. It's not like I didn't blog about it all ad nauseum anyway.

What really enrages me though is not that I am so far off the housing ladder I'm actually in a hole next to the ladder (although that is really annoying) but that I still miss him! It's absurd. Ridiculous. Insane.

Even while I'm thinking about everything he did - the cheating, the lies, the drinking - I still miss him! It's so fucking annoying!

Does anyone have a solution? Actually, I did just buy a new bottle of Tia Maria. Maybe that's all there is to it.

While looking for pictures for this post I came across these awesome Fat Kitties.

She has an etsy shop here. Looking at the angry fat kitties has actually made me feel a bit less angry. Or that could be the second shot kicking in. My MIL who I miss so much sent me a cat calender yesterday. Nope, I'm back in the hole again. Pass the bottle...

Forward Planning

Slow day at work today. I happened to be catching up with a few blogs when I came across this post at Skein's Blog. The IntSweMoDo (basically knitting a sweater a month) continues in 2012 and she discusses signing up. She also then ponders what she might make.

I've always admired people who sign up for that kind of thing. I am just not a joiner. As soon as I feel obliged to make something I'd rather do the washing up or clean the windows or a million other things. But then I do crave that feeling of achievement. Difficult. I think instead I might be better off with a list of "strong intentions".

1. Paper Dolls
I want mine to have a different motif and sleeves though.

I have played with a cheshire cat motif....not sure.

2. Harvest Moon
I pretty much like this the way it is.

3. Buttony Sweater
I have twice cast this on and twice frogged it. I think it's the yarn - I haven't found the right yarn for it yet. I really like this one:

4. Circles Cardigan
This is to be like the socks I've been making.

But with the pattern on the yoke and tops of the sleeves like this one I made aeons ago and have worn consistently ever since.

5. Spode Jumper
My Mum has all this blue and white spode china which is just beautiful. One of the saucers inspires me.

Over christmas I'll be charting this for a fairisle jumper. That's the plan anyway.

I think that's enough. I don't want to get carried away and convince myself that 12 sweaters in a year is achievable.

I got my first christmas present last night - a copy of the Quantum Mechanics book I blogged about before. That's my holiday reading sorted! Which reminds me - if you are not aware of Knitting on the Green I would go there. As well as gorgeous knitting and crafting Liz does excellent book reviews. I've read a couple this year on the back of her recommendations.

But Why Not?

A couple of years ago I went to a kind of general wellbeing fair with my sister. There were gurus and coaches and motivators aplenty. I had a freebie 5 minutes with a career coach.

She asked me to think of my ideal job and of course (of course) I talked about knitting and pattern designing and dyeing and accessories and so on. "But" I said "there's no money in it."

"Do you know anyone who does make a living from it?" She asked me.
"Oh yes, lots of people." I said.
"So...why couldn't you earn a living from it?"

Of course (of course) I know it's not that easy and that if it were we would all be doing it. But...

I keep thinking there is no money in writing patterns - even while I am paying to download the occasional one from Ravelry. I have written patterns - they are on Ravelry and one even has 332 likes and has been made 54 times. I made this cardigan a while ago.

Yeah, I look kind of ill. I was quite mental around then. BUT the point is I was going to write up the pattern. I don't think I could remember it now. And I used to make stitchmarkers. And I sold them. People bought them I mean. I didn't just list them on etsy. Why did I stop doing that?

Over christmas I have printed a couple of things to take to Mater's so I can design a jumper and cardigan while I am down there. I am definitely going to keep notes as I go along so I can share them, even if it is just for free on this blog. I know it's a long way from casually writing up a pattern to earning a living but then from tiny seeds do giant vegetables grow...

As I type I am being taunted by the wholesome smells emanating from my slow cooker. I cannot recommend these strongly enough. Less than half an hour in the morning and by evening a delicious meal without any stirring, turning, adjusting etc. Plus if you are single you can make batches and then freeze portions for other days. Definite bonus. At the moment I have Irish Stew in progress using some of the chicken stock I made using my slow cooker 2 weeks ago.

A lot of people seem to have one but are not sure where to start. There are a zillion recipes online but I would recommend this book:

It's very cheap and quite small but really does explain the basics as well as having yummy recipes. The irish stew is from there and I've made loads of others in the past.

In love...

I adore this pattern. It makes any self-patterning yarn look spectacular. I've made it twice for other people but never for myself. Having fallen for this yarn (Opal) in Iknit I knew the two were meant to be together. Loving it. I've been thinking of making a cardigan with the top third in this pattern like this one. Only without the nine freakin' dollars spent on the pattern. $9! For one pattern? Bleh.

Meanwhile I have a few more photos of the Santa Run...

I was thrilled to see on Twitter that Yarn Yard's Natalie has started Couch to 5K too. She says I inspired her and I was in turn inspired by another knitter. Aren't knitters great!?

Yesterday I took Gordon to a lecture of sorts by TV grinner Prof Brian Cox and his colleague Jeff Forshaw about their new book.

It was very interesting and I definitely want to read the book now. Hopefully I'll get it for xmas! The day had already been fairly awesome before we got to the South Bank for the lecture. Having got there early we had a good look round the christmas market and...what I've been wanting to do for weeks since I saw one outside the NHM...

You may have your whirlygigs and rollercoasters but give me a good old fashioned Carousel and I'm a happy bunny. Flash seemed to enjoy it too...