Snow Day - the rules do not apply!

xxxxxxxxI love snow, so Monday was a gift. Steve made a valiant attempt to get to work - despite me saying 'It's a snow day! The rules do not apply!' but when he arrived at Clapham Junction at 7.30 (he normally gets there about seven, it took him forty-five minutes to bike to the station, usually it takes fifteen) to find the 5.30 train to Brighton still on the platform, he gave up. I took the day off in solidarity, even though my commute is a thirty-second walk to my desk. Steve did call into work a couple of times, even though I reminded him that as it was a snow day, the rules did not apply.

Brockwell Park looked beautiful, not a million miles away from Bruegel's The Hunters in the Snow.

Of course, since the big snow of '09, there's been a lot of fuss about how London's infrastructure can't handle this sort of weather. But then, it's a freak occurence - the last time this happened was eighteen years ago! If this sort of thing happened every winter, then yes, I think there is a problem, but one day in eighteen years? It was a welcome relief for many people, I think. With all the bad news that's going around at the moment, I think it was brilliant that people were smiling at one another and having fun and forgetting the grim economy for a day. It was a snow day, and the rules did not apply.

The problem with Anne Hanson...

xxxxxxxx... is that it's too difficult to pick just one of her patterns!

I'm going to a wedding in Rome at the end of March, and I'd really like to wear a shawl over a black sleeveless dress. In March, the weather in Rome is, according to this website, 'e pazzarello' - crazy, capricious - and I'm a chilly mortal at the best of times, so I want something to wear over my arms and keep me warm. And, as we're going to be one of the few non-Italians at the wedding, I'd like to at least try to be chic and groomed.

The options? Ice Fantasia in Fearless Fibers Teal Green. (It's a little more green in real life.) This is what I was originally going to make for the wedding.



But then Anne released Caricia. And I loved it immediately. One of the yarn options she lists is Sundara Fingering Silky Merino, which I've got in The Life Aquatic. I'd definitely make the largest size in this, in fact, I'll probably add more repeats, as the yardage is 780, and I have 1000 yards.



I will definitely make both of these shawls at some point this year but I'll only be able to make one before the end of March. But which? Both patterns are beautiful, both yarns are gorgeous. Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think! I really can't decide! At the moment, I'm leaning towards Caricia, but I really don't know!

We love Italy, but so far we haven't made it to Rome. Our friends are from Rome, so we've already been given lots of local information about the best places to stay and where to eat. And, the wedding takes place two days before our own wedding anniversary! We're planning on spending five or six days in Rome, going budget for the first few days, but booking a luxurious hotel for the day of our anniversary. It's going to be lovely; I really can't wait.

In other news - its snowing outside! Just a light flutter - but hooray! Oh boo - spoke too soon. It seems to have stopped.

Competition winners!

xxxxxxxxDear lovely people

Thanks so much for coming by and letting me know who your favourite character is - I really loved reading your comments. I was thinking, as I was reading through them yesterday, that it's not so much who but why your favourite character is who he or she is. Is it because they embody attributes you share? Attributes you wish you had? One of the things I like about Owen Meaney, for example, is his certainty and his vision, but I know I wouldn't want to be like him.

One of my other favourite characters - one that many of you share - is Jane Eyre. Steadfast, kind, intelligent, honest, true to herself and loyal, she's not someone who flinches at doing the right thing, even if in doing so she denies herself happiness. I'm not sure I'm like her, but in many ways I'd like to be like her.

But anyway - it's been a great competition so thanks so much for contributing, and also thanks to those of you who left a comment on your blog pointing here. The winner of the Wollmeise, Yarnissima pattern, books and other goodies is:

Gabrielle

But because the response was so great, I've decided to have two runner-up prizes, a skein of sock yarn from my stash. These are going to:

Claudia and |chee-uh|

Congratulations, you guys!

I'm thinking of running another similar but different competition this year, probably in July, my birthday month. Watch this space!

Finished - Socktopus 2009 No. 1: Om Shanti

Don't scroll down if you don't want spoilers!


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They are done - and in record time, for me, at least.

I think that the secret was in monogamous knitting and also the thick wool and large needle sizes. I certainly didn't stay up all night knitting them, and I even had a (small) setback where I needed to redo the heel on the second.



And yes, the striping did continue on the second sock, but it doesn't worry me too much now - I wondered whether it could have been my tension changing but actually, the two skeins of wool were slightly different thicknesses it turns out - nothing that you could actually see in the skein, but even this slight difference changed the way the sock spiralled. Interesting, isn't it?



I really love the garter stitch heel. No picking up wraps here, they're already hidden by the garter ridges. Lovely.



And lovely to wear, too - beautifully soft and squishy.

Competition update!

xxxxxxxx The last time I looked there were almost 100 comments to my competition! That's so fantastic, thanks so much for coming along and letting me know what your favourite character is.

By the way, here's a picture of the Fratello kit...



It's just over a week until the competition closes... I'm loving everyone's comments so far - keep 'em coming!

Socktopus 2009, No. 1 - Spoiler!

There was no way I was going to be able to work during the inauguration of President Obama (doesn't that sound good? Don't think I'm ever going to get tired of saying that). Instead, I decided to crack on with the very first Socktopus sock club package of 2009, which had arrived on my doorstep that very day. I watched the whole thing through a mist of tears, moved just as much by the faces in the crowd as the swearing-in ceremony. I thought President Obama's speech was perfectly judged for these tough times - we don't need soaring heights of rhetoric, we do need to feel confident that the person running America is steadfast, intelligent and honest, and President Obama is all that and more.

Anyway, back to socks.

I've decided to knit socks from now on by first doing the toe of one, then the toe of the other, then the foot of the first sock, the foot of the second, etc etc - not because I have a problem with second sock syndrome, but so I can remember to do the same thing on the second sock if I make a mistake modify the first.



I'm not sure I should have bothered! The universe is conspiring against me! Identical twins these are not - see how one looks varigated and the other has pooled in stripes? I'm a bit flummoxed as to how this could have happened - any one got ideas? The yarn came in two separate skeins - perhaps that's it?

Actually, I don't mind, not really. (Well, perhaps a little bit...) OK, I mind enough to moan about it but not enough to figure out a solution! And, anyway, this is lovely yarn, absolutely delicious to knit up, and the pattern is so, so fast! I'm speeding along. I may even finish both socks by the weekend...

The yarn, by the way, is Peppermint Cheer, an exclusive colourway for Socktopus by Chameleon Colorworks. I've never knitted with anything quite like it - it's so soft and bouncy, and the colour has a pearlescent sort of sheen to it. And Alice devised the pattern - Om Shanti bedsocks, how luxurious.

This is the way the stitch pattern works up - isn't it lovely?

Keswick

Eleven of us spent the weekend in a huge, six-bedroom house in Keswick and we had an amazing time. I can't remember the last time I laughed so much and so often. It was fantastic - and Sally had a great time too, which is excellent, seeing as she was the birthday girl and all.

I was blown away by Keswick. It's in the Lake District, situated on the edge of Derwent Water, and it's a lovely little village. Apparently it's overrun by climbers, mountain bikers and hikers in the summer; in the winter it was busy enough to have a buzz, but not crowded.

Mostly, we spent our time in the pub or sitting at home shooting the breeze and knitting, but we did go for a walk (during a hailstorm) and on a boat ride - the Scottish contingent stood hardily on the deck outside while we soft Southerners huddled together in the cabin.

By the way, this isn't the place we stayed, but it was right on the water and the thought of sailing your boat right up to the balcony and slipping inside for a glass of wine sounds like the perfect end to a summer's day, doesn't it?



Keswick is full of little picturesque houses like this one - and very different to houses down south - I loved the way they were put together, clearly using materials from the local area.

I do wish I had taken some better pictures. Steve and I often get asked why, when the scenery is so great in New Zealand, we have stayed over here for so long. I think people sometimes overlook what's on their doorstep - and this part of England is definitely one I'd like to visit again - maybe when the temperature is a little higher.

Happy birthday, Sally!

Just to let you know...

...I moderate my comments and I'm off on a long weekend, so if your comment doesn't show up right away, don't worry - just hold tight until Tuesday...

Have a lovely weekend!

The Recently Deflowered Girl

xxxxxxxxThis is fast turning into a books rather than a crafting blog. I apologise - more crafting pics later today - but I had to show you this, which is currently doing the rounds of several book blogs.



Written in the sixties, it's an etiquette guide on what to do after a guy has taken your flower. It's ace.

On Amazon copies are going for over £130 for this Edward Gorey/Mel Juffe penned book (Hyacinth Phyppe is an Emily Post-type character) but Accordian Guy has posted images for our amusement. My favourite has got to be 'Deflowerment Day After Wedding'. Enjoy.