Another fantastic day...

this weather is wonderful. So what did I do with my beautifully weathered day...
Well today it was the turn of the "spare room" to be done...but it was done so quickly I took on the bathroom too, and threw out all the out of date things in the cabinet. So now the cabinet is empty and we need to go shopping for plasters, depilatory (sp??) cream, dry skin creams, sterile gauze and all the other things I didn't know we had in the house, as we now have none - it all got thrown out as the expiry dates were generally last century!! And then, it was onto cleaning the loo - goodness it was a heady day!
I popped round to the neighbours with a bottle of champagne as they had some good news to celebrate. Why is it that we can live next door to people and not speak for months at a time - hopefully this will change now the clocks have altered. No more going to work in the dark/coming home in the dark for 7 months - yay!!!!!!!
DD and DH called from Memphis. They were off to do a few touristy bits including going to the Gibson Guitar Factory (well that is what they said), DD was very excited (not), but I am sure she would have enjoyed it really. They seem to be having a really good time, and I think DD wants to emigrate, although telling her I have exorcised the dust elepahants she is also keen to get back to see what I have done. They also spotted a celeb at the Grand Old Opry...a judge from the X Factor or Strictly Ballroom or something like that, DD wasn't too sure but did recognise his face...I am sure I will get the lowdown on Friday morning when they get back...

off for more knitting, I love these socks, they are looking fab though they are a little slow (or maybe that is me).

Someone told the planet it is summer!

What a fabulous day - the weather is glorious - blue skies, slight summery breeze, sun shining, the leaves and flowers are all coming out. It is beautiful!
And for some bizarre reason I was up at 5.30am - me! 5.30am!! (it is 6.30am new time), but dear god 5.30am!!!
I was down the garage at 6.00am (7am) buying the Sunday paper and cat food. I took Danni down, I was worried when she wouldn't start but after a few attempts and asking the universe to help us out, she did and we ventured out - for any one that knows me you will know this was a major feat! AND I DID IT!
When Danni and I got back The Rumpies (can you see what we do in this house? yes that is right EVERTHING gets a name) and I then sat in bed with a cuppa and read the papers - front to back/cover to cover, and then I got on and did DDs bedroom - dear god did I do her bedroom.
She left for her holiday on the understanding that she had "done" her bedroom. But obviously our definitions vary slightly. Her definition seems to be tidy the main carpeted area and vaccum that bit, I see it as blitzing the lot and chucking out the crap, pulling it all out giving it a really good dust and then vacuum round, so I thought I was going in to clean her window and vacuum - I was also going to hang the curtains that I bought 6 months ago, but weren't going to go up until she had cleaned out her room....hhhmmm I knew the edges of the carpet wouldn't be done as DD is scared of the noise of the Dyson, but it turned out that various other bits hadn't been done either. Anyway, 4 hours later IT IS DONE, and the curtains are up, and I have bought her some lights which look like white blosom, so all in all it is looking very girly. I may wel photo it, as I am sure it won't last long despite the nagging.
We aren't talking dust bunnies! When I pulled out the table that has her TV etc on, I got trampled by a herd of escaping dust elephants...the Dyson was emptied twice, and her room really isn't that big.
Anyway, my chore for the day is done, I am now planning on making a cuppa and getting on with the socks. I can't wait to get my camera and show you these socks, they rock!

Thank God for tonight!

The clocks go forward! So I guess tonight is almost officially the last day of Winter??
The weather is crap - grey, wet and windy - should I be surprised, I do live in England...so what to do at 5.40pm after watching the Boat Race...Open the wine, reheat the remains of last night's chinese and toast the end of the miserable season - yay to an extra hour....surely things can only get brighter from here?




Knitting Update - cos I do you know...I have cast on #3 for DHs sox...they have been jaywalkers twice, and toe-up jaywalkers once....they are currently taking on the form of these


off to partake of "fuck off shitty season!" winefest celebration....tomorrow will only be better!

UPDATE - I think these socks will stick, they are looking good already...and the family said they will wave on the way over on Thursday - they have a 2 hour stopover in Newark

One week on...

well, they have been gone a week. What has gone on in my life as I live be myself and can't be bothered to cook properly but have installed the red wine and maltesers??? I have become THAT crazy cat lady from the Simpsons. You know the one, wild grey hair (me not the Rumpies yet) and cats stuck on me all over my smelly old coat eek! Why do I fit the description of CCL so well....well, The Rumpies have started walking me to the bus stop in the morning - they sit by my feet, wait for me to get on the bus, wait for the bus to start moving and then they go home! And this evening I was met by Miss Pumpkin Rumpy. God knows how long she had been waiting in the bushes, as the buses come by every 20 minutes aaawwwww!!!! They are soooooo sweet......
ALSO Having washed the cat beds this weekend, every wash that has since come out of the machine since has come out covered in cat hair, depite running the "fluff removal" programme a gazilion times, but I guess it is fluff removal NOT cat hair removal. I have started talking to them - in THAT way, as in expecting them to answer, and being surprised when they don't.
I am also watching Most Haunted Live, eating too much chocolate and still using the dishwasher(!!??).....BUT and this may be TMI I still haven't used a whole loo roll yet, yet when the family is here we would be on number 10 at least by now, and I haven't managed to fill a supermarket bag with rubbish yet - so why is it me x3 can create so much more rubbish!! But no knitting in the evening!?!? I am spending too long catching up with blogs, surfing t'internet and watching shite TV

I am in lurve.....

but what do I lurve more, my new pomatomus socks that I have just this second finished, or my harmony DPNs that I have knitted them on - yes, yes I bought the DPNs too (had to be done) . Damn, but these sox look fab - I have knitted them in hot pink and they fit like they were knitted just for me <3 Actually they are for DD but when she tried on #1 she declared it too small, so they may just be for me - swoon! No piccies though :( but why not I hear you ask......it is because my camera is currently in Memphis with DD, DH and MIL....it has just travelled down from a 2 day stopover in NY (they all waved to Bezzie when they were there) and it is currently being employed in Graceland. This weekend it will travel onto Nashville before at some point comingback with at least 999 photos (none of which will be duplicated of course). It is very strange being at home just me and the team (Archie and the Rumpies)...oh and 1 dead mouse (so far). Waving them off was very strange...I went back to bed and cried, but maybe that was because it was 4am and I had to go to work at 8am. DD and DH would be crap as Santa, they got up at 3am and stomped around with the stage whispers of "shhhh, don't wake mum" which obviously did. I went to work at 7.20am - what else do you do when you have to go to work at some point -if I picked up my knitting I would never have got to work. This weekend is a long one - which means I managed to get these sox finished (finally, a pair of sox, 2, left AND right). My sister keeps phoning saying things like, "what do you mean you haven't seen another human being all day", "have you really not left the house!!!!", "you are what!!!! knitting!!!!", " have you not left the house at all".
I can happily answer that no I have not really left the house:
I work bloody hard all year and it is good to just sit and enjoy peace and quiet in the place where I CHOOSE to live.
I have enjoyed catching up on the housework (a bit every day - today I steamed a carpet, it looks like new, what is not to love)
I am enjoying spending time with the cats who have chosen to live with us, they are good company
I am enjoying watching shite TV all day as I sit and knit
I am enjoying getting up when I want to, and having a pyjama day
I am enjoying having the time to knit
I am loving catching up with Knitty and Ravelry
I am enjoying updating the Yay-Pod
I am enjoying reading and catching up with blogs I have fallen behind with....

In other words I am enjoying spending time doing what I want to do, where I want to do it, when I want to do it......... and I can do it all again tomorrow

But it is odd lying in bed in an empty house (of humans, not furry friends), thinking about my family being half way round the world....BUT we have email, we have phones and we are keeping in touch. And I also have furry friends freaking out at 4am, cos another furry beast is trying to get into the cat flap....well I was woken by growling, I ran downstairs and found the Rumps pinned to the walls in the hall with fear, and Archie all hackled up looking twice is normal size (normal is fucking enormous, so imagine what I witnessed....) and growling for all he was worth, with the catflap swinging....who needs dogs :)

Tomorrow I begin Jaywalker #2 for DH...I may just rip the first one as it was finished oooohhhhh a long time ago.....in fact, do I even know where it is....but apparently his team is relying on Jaywalker 2 to stay up in the Premier League (good sign this weekend, they had a good result and other teams have good result for them too, and all because I knew that #2 was about to hit the Harmonies).


The football was the first thing DH asked me about when he called me from Newark............happy days!

Cheers and Happy Easter! Cheers, as I have found a bottle of Disarronno that would be rude to ignore now I have dusted it off, and Happy Easter cos the Bunny found me, decorated my tree and left me a chocolate bunny, which sadly is no more.....

It must be school holiday time...

as I have managed to post x2 in 2 days....
Nothing exciting today - but a fab sign of Spring - Look, daffs on the Tramway.......got to be worth just posting that, but we also have a few shots of Harmonies enjoying the beginnings of a beautiful season...
Harmonies playing tennis...
Harmonies enjoying the better weather

Harmonies being carries down the slope very carefully by DD

And finally, Harmonies waiting to cross the road...

now to just cast on and get on with the next project. DD is out, DH is at work, the housework is done (ROFLOL yeah right!), the tea is made and Bewitched is on the TV. Happy Knitting :)

The original Bewitched, of course!

Happy Valentine's Day....

I know it isn't everyone's bag, but DH does go over the top. It's lovely, and I wanted to share. Valentine's Day started early (as it always does in the MAL household). I worked until 9pm on Wednesday night, which gave DH, with a little help from DD, time to do this:

This is only the mantlepiece. We also have banners round the room, heart balloons, and twirly bits all over the living room. But this gives you the general idea of what he gets up to when left alone for a couple of hours. We also have heart lights wound round the lampstand! He also got me a lovely card of the Eiffel Tower, a tin of choccies and a lovely Bridgewater candle in a tea cup - bless him!

Other than that what happened today - well, I made some custard creams a la Nigella Lawson. This is the "oh look, I made biccies" shot.....

And here we have the "I have just handed the plate of homemade cookies to DH!"

Apparently they WERE nice!

Cat update?

Pumpkin decided to get her toy basket out!

Archie looked on, sighed and went back to sleep.......and Maddie??

she just waited for the fun to start!

But wait! What is this?? Maddie Rumpie?? caught hard at .........sleeping! How the hell does she sleep like that? I guess it means that she is a very relaxed with her family....aww!

She really is fast asleep....

And knitting??? Why do I never post any photos of WIPS? I do have them, quite a lot actually! In fact I have just taken delivery of my Knitpicks Harmonys, or should that be Harmony Knitpicks - whatever, they are beautiful. I have a project I am about to start, but I want a clear afternoon with a pot of tea, some tiffin, daytime tv, phone off the hook - you know the kind of thing. Absolutely no interruptions - just me, my noro and my harmonies

in the meantime DD and I may take the Harmonies into town for some pr0n shots. You know the kind of thing.....harmonies in shrubbery, harmonies on the swings, harmonies at the farmers market

Parcel for Maryannlucy......

from Lulu

LOOK!!!! My favourites. They remain unopened, for now!



A lovely card, and a book that I think is probably very cute, but DD has run off with it. I also got some little arabian cushions that smell of cloves. They are buried in the knitting basket to protect my Noro from the moths, making things smell luverly :)

And now for the important part of the parcel: the knitted bits for Christophers Angels. Hasn't she done a great job - I am sorry that these photos are crappy, but we haven't had any natural light for about 4 months, so these were taken in the kitchen at 6.30pm under the light of the cooker hood filter - go David Bailey!

I love this cardigan, and the bootees are so cute.

These are baby pink. I took 3 photos, with flash, without flash, hanging from the ceiling, and still got a crappy shot! Sorry Lulu!


And I love these, they are so fab....

Sorry again Lulu for the crappy photos :( One day we will have sunshine and warmth here, one day!
Check out her blog to see MUCH better pics! link above

WIPs and some other bits...

This is my Argosy knitted with my beautiful Noro Silg Garden Lite from Crafty Cottage. I love the colours....though I have seen green and yellow in the middle, maybe I should have delved a little deeper into the ball before I bought it - it'll be interesting to see how the colours go...




Next, a cardigan from a Premmie set for Christopher. And a couple of FOs too.



A burial gown - it never occured to me that these things would be needed. I suppose it has never touched my life before. Very sad, and very humbling to knit. And a hat too.......




My amazon order arrived today - I hope this book sorts out my "aarrgghhh" with my Ipod, I must be of a "certain" generation, as the bloody thing makes me so frustrated as I can't make it do what I want it to do, and Apple don't provide very clear instructions IMHO - it MUST be my age, as DD is fine with her!

A book that sounds very interesting, and may the answer to my Ipod woes!

These 2 books are beautiful, and I can't wait to get started on them. I saw these recommended on this site. I love this site, her photos are lovely, and I love her dog - so cute!


And finally, look what DD bought for me! I went to have 3 cysts removed yesterday, nothing important but DH came and held my hand, and afterwards DH and I had a lovely afternoon wandering around the Bullring in B'ham.
About 4.30pm DD phoned to say she was home, and that she had bought me a pressie to make me happy, and would only say that "it would make me cry". I immediately knew what it was. This book was very special to me when I was little, and we hired it over christmas, and as the credits started to roll at the beginning!!!! I started to cry, and continued to sob throughout!! DD sat and laughed at me, but it was a nice afternoon anyway.

Just found the cable so I can show you what.....

I spent money on today...so much for the yarn diet - lol!
I found a new LYS today...OMG, I have died and gone to heaven. I read about it on Knit the Knits blog so had to go and have a look - I had a quick look on t'internet before going; here, and even found a group on Ravelry...so I had to go didn't I?

Well if I had to picture a perfect place to buy yarn, this is it.......it is like Ravelry come to life. Lots of very friendly people who completely understand it when I ask to pet their Knitpicks Options - yes, I have seen some in reality - sigh! and ask to pet their Argosy too ;) There were all sorts of yarns I only dream about; Malabrigo, Noro, Handmaiden, and yes you know me and my thing for dischcloths..........Peaches n Creme :) and loads of others that have now escaped me as I am on yarn overload.......

What did I buy? What didn't I buy?????? So much for the yarn diet - tut!
Here goes:
4 x Peaches n Creme
4 x Noro Kureyon
2 x Noro Silk Garden Lite,

AND a skein of Malabrigo, worsted weight.....which Jo very kindly would for me in the shop - yes, I will repeat that for anyone from the UK that might be reading this.....SHE WOUND IT FOR ME IN THE SHOP - for anyone who may be from other parts, this doesn't generally happen in this country (though I am happy to be wrong if anyone knows of anywhere else)
DH and I got a cuppa, and a share on a plate of jaffa cakes too. People were popping in being taught to knit by a very knowledge Raveller/Ravelryer (is that the right term???), others were coming in checking on the Knit and Natter nights, others to say hello - it was fab!
If you are anywhere near Warwick, even as close as a few hundred miles, please call in.....

did I mention that there are currently discounts on the yarn i.e. "25% here, 15% there.....