Homey Day

I had a lovely day today. I stayed at home and pottered and did 'homey' things, which is my favourite way to spend my time.

This afternoon I watched Little Women on TV. The Winona Ryder version. I was just in the mood for it. Of course, I can't watch TV without doing some crafty thing so I decided to cut out a new top to make another the same as my green flowery one. Meg was as helpful as ever:

A final stretch on her way off the material!

Yesterday I finished Keigan's vest and bootees:Sewing up is my least favourite part of knitting, but it (obviously) has to be done. I think they turned out really well in the end. The pattern is from one of Erika Knight's books. Wool is Jaeger Baby Merino 4 ply. I love this colour. I found the ribbon fiddly and wondered why I'd bothered with it! It took a few attempts to get the bow to look this good, and I'm not sure how practical it will be after it's washed.I love wrapping presents too and spend too much time designing the wrapping. I got this ribbon from Panduro. It's so sweet. The tape I made from Hagos's tape machine that he uses to label things on tour. My wrapping obsession reminds me of my friends, Janie and Ba, who make their own Christmas cards every year. I should have photographed Ba's from last year, it was a spiral wire Christmas tree with pink bells strategically placed. My favourite of Janie's was when she photocopied her own face onto hers. Then to round off the day Meg and I snuggled up on the couch in the best cuddle ever and I read Harry Potter for half an hour before we both fell asleep.

Distraction

I need some lighthearted distraction today because it's been a difficult couple of days, so here it is: my Simplicity top.

I finished it last Sunday. And I really like it. It took me four hours to sew it together - much longer than I expected. I think it took so long because I followed the instructions properly as it was my first time; whereas, now I know what needs attention and what can be bodged it should hopefully not take so long next time. Only problem is, it's a wee bit tight. Not much but it'll look better when I lose a few lbs. The pattern can also be made into a dress and I'm thinking about making another couple of tops, and then using this material to make the dress version:

It's Amy Butler's Star Paisley Lime. I love it. I love EVERYTHING Amy Butler. She has a range of handbag patterns and I'm thinking of buying a couple because they're so stylish.

I'm planning to take it very easy the rest of the day. Will finish Keigan's second bootee and sew everything up. It's just me and Meg at home until Sunday as Hagos has gone to Europe for the weekend. So we'll probably watch a chick flick.

Beach, Cake, Top, Vest

On Sunday we went to Cromer beach for the day with our friends. This is Hagos enjoying the shade towards the end of the day, while our friends went in search of water. We packed a picnic of organic sandwiches and fruit and I baked banana and walnut cake, which was delicious. This is all that was left of it when we got home. I was given Mrs Beeton's book for my birthday years ago by my friends Janie and Ba. I've used it a lot, mainly for baking but also when I need to remember to use a tablespoonful of milk when making scrambled eggs, and a tablespoonful of water when making omelette. I particularly like the section on general household management where it says to be careful when carrying a tray upstairs when wearing a dressing gown. Such sensible advice. I bought a pattern for a top online, the same one SouleMama made. It's the first time I've followed a pattern since I was at school when it took the WHOLE TERM to make one skirt (why was that?). I was so taken with hers that I wanted to make one for myself. I bought the material ages ago in John Lewis and today I traced my size and cut it out.
I decided to trace the pattern from the original in case I wanted to make another one for my sister or friend. The material was fairly cheap and cheerful and it looks stunning cut out. I'll attempt to sew it together at the weekend. I might have to rely on common sense as I don't completely understand the instructions.

I've also almost finished a blue vest for my nephew's baby, Keigan. I've finished knitting it, just have to sew it together. I've made matching bootees to go with it. Just one more to knit and sew up and it'll be ready to give.

Too Many Goodies

Isn't this the most beautiful dress you've ever seen? It's in the new Rowan magazine, which I browsed through today and was VERY tempted to buy but didn't (it's only a matter of time). I thought the new magazine looks really good though I wasn't so keen on the section marked 'Reflections'. But the rest looked lovely. Cable seems to be back. I also looked at the new season's wool, which is also divine. One called Cocoon, 80% merino wool, 20% kid mohair that was SO soft. Knits on 7mm needles.

Anyway, part of the reason I didn't get the magazine was because I could tell all of the projects would take a lot of TIME to knit. I think I might dedicate all of next year to knitting that dress.

Another reason I didn't buy the magazine is because I'm big into sewing these days, and this morning in the post I received Sublime Stitching from the lovely people at Amazon.

I've seen some sweet projects completed on other blogs and I thought I might be able to combine making clothes/accessories with a bit of easy and effective embroidery to personalise it. I have an idea for Christmas presents. I'll have to make a prototype and see if it's feasible. Some of Sublime Stitching looks good, though I was a wee bit disappointed by the range of transfers/designs. I was hoping for a polar bear but there only seems to be cats and dogs. We'll see. I think the instructions at the beginning look well-written. And it has made me realise I can actually make my own designs and embroider them.

It's such a beautiful day today I decided to bring my books outside and sit in the shade to update my blog. I brought our comfy chair out and went back inside for my books and laptop and guess who decided to make herself at home in the meantime? I couldn't stop laughing when I saw her there. I was literally two seconds going back inside for my stuff and when I last saw her she was lying under the picnic table. But she obviously thought the chair looked like the place to be. Softie that I am I left her there and worked at the picnic bench for a few minutes until Madame decided to go into my shed and relax there instead.

Meg and Meg

That look says it all! We woke her up to take a photo of her alongside my husband's new guitar (which he has named Meg, because it looks like Meg).

Yesterday morning we were woken up by her jumping around on the landing outside our bedroom door. The landing is kind of her play area. We've started shutting her out of our bedroom at night because we were being woken up by her four or five times a night as she came in and out and went exploring round the bedroom etc. Anyway, she sometimes jumps around to get our attention and to try to get us to open the door, so usually I ignore it, but yesterday morning I could just tell she had a 'friend' in with her.

I got up to find a sweet wee mouse lying by her feet and Meg looked at me all happily.

The mouse looked convincingly dead, so I herded Meg downstairs (avec mouse in her mouth) and tried to shoo her out the door but she stubbornly sat by the kitchen cupboard and HEAD FIRST started to chew the mouse. Ugh, it turned my stomach. I picked her up and carried her out the door. It was only when I'd put her out that I realised she'd dropped what was left of the mouse - its entrails, which were about a metre long! and what looked like its liver. Thankfully my husband turned up to help clear this up and I bleached the floor! Yuck.

Sister Skirt

I finished my sister's birthday skirt. It took me two weeks to pluck up the courage to make it. I knew from experience (the Eyelash skirt) that if I tried to make it when I wasn't in the mood it would be rubbish. The result is I think it's the best skirt I've ever made. This is the waist band, which I'm particularly pleased with. I wanted to improve my skirt-making techniques as it is a present for my sister's birthday so I decided to make the waist band in the same material instead of sewing on arbitrary strips as I did with Joyce and Mo's skirts, though I still think they look really cool. I also used interfacing for the first time ever (woo hoo) and I doubled-up the hem so there are no scraggly ends (sorry Joyce and Mo!). I also thought the zip was the best I've ever fitted, thanks to Anna's advice of sewing the seam first, then inserting the zip, instead of the other way round. The colours in the photos haven't turned out particularly well. The material is really vibrant, mustard and olive, it's absolutely beautiful and radiates in natural light. I found this gorgeous trim on Saturday in a little craft shop. The colours are beautiful. I don't know what I'll use it for but I couldn't resist buying it.

Happy Birthday Jacqueline

Isn't she lovely?

LOVE that jumper (I'm serious).

Christmas dresses.

Halloween. I think I'm a gypsy, but you'd have to ask my mum.

Jacqueline's the American Indian at the back.

I made this into a Father's Day card this year. Jacqueline didn't like it because her hair was messy. Should have brushed it before having her photo taken, I reckon.

Is she, or isn't she...?

Yes, she is wearing Crocs!

After much um-ing and ah-ing my husband finally persuaded me to buy them midweek. Though I love colour I decided to go for black, thinking I'd be able to wear them with anything. Unlike Anna who bought orange Crocs!I also received a backdated edition of Selvedge, and the latest edition of Selvedge in the post. The backdated edition has a feature on wool from the Scottish Borders, which is where I hail from, and it made me yearn for home, and wool, and a kilt!It's felt so wintry lately that my thoughts turned to my Winter 07 accessories, i.e. hat, scarf and mittens. I thought I'd like a new colour scheme and finally landed on black and red. Then today I priced up how much they would cost me to make: £30, and how much time it would take me to knit: too much, and I think I might stick with last year's accessories for another year instead. I finally finished my Eyelash skirt today. I only had the waist band to sew in place. I'm not sure if I like it or not. I think the material is too yellow for me. It looked greeny-olive when I bought it online. And I really need to learn how to make a proper waist band. It's my sister's birthday tomorrow, and I had promised to make her a skirt in Amy Butler's Coriander Olive, the same material I made Joyce's skirt with, but it's been late arriving, so she will be a week late getting it. I think once I've done that, and made my Paperweight Algae skirt, I really need to move onto another pattern. This one's beginning to bug me. I want to make an elasticated top like the one SouleMama made a while ago.

Hagos has gone on tour again, for a week. I dropped him at Norwich Airport this morning at 5am!! We left the house at 4.30am. And went to bed at 11pm! So, knackered.

Finally, a gratuitous photo of Meg, who is much recovered and sweet after her op: I love when her head is tucked into her feet!

The Vet

I just took Meg to the vet to be spayed and I feel dreadful. No food after 9pm last night, no water after 8am this morning. She was actually rather good about not complaining about the lack of food. Usually her food bowl always has something in it. I set my alarm for 8am this morning as the vet said to drop her off between 8.30am and 10.30am. When I got up, however, she wasn't in the house, so about 9.15am I went looking for her and found her sleeping in the long grass down the back lane, very near where she used to live. I carried her all the way home, and then it was a fight to get her into the cat carrier. She knows it means the vet's. Eventually I had to stand it on its end and drop her in from the top, but even that was difficult. The drive there wasn't so bad, though she was meowing/crying and looking at me like I'd betrayed her.

I have to pick her up between 2.30pm and 3pm. They'll call me. I feel so responsible making decisions about her health though. It seems cruel to make her go through being on heat every four weeks, and though I was initially excited about her having kittens I also soon realised the responsibility of finding good, kind homes for them. So the only option is to have her spayed, but she's such an independent, free spirit who comes and goes when she likes I also feel bad about putting her into a cat carrier and forcing her to have an operation.

I'll be so glad when I have her home again today.

UPDATE: Meg is home now and still in shock from the day. She's upstairs semi-sleeping. I feel so sorry for her. Hopefully it won't be too long before she feels like herself again.

Gemma

I finally finished Gemma's back. I'd like to claim it as the longest knitting of a jumper in history, but I know my sister-in-law has been knitting her husband a jumper for about ten years now, and Gemma has only been two and a half years - or is it three? - in the making.

I eventually went to bed this afternoon, because I was so tired. I needed a day slobbing around at home. I made dinner early at half four (vegetable pasta) and was going to watch the second half of Meet Me In St Louis when the Henin/Williams game came on TV. My sister and I are huge Wimbledon fans and have been twice (a couple of years ago for the men's finals) so I'm watching that and thinking about making my Eyelash skirt when it's finished.

Dublin!!!

This was me about five minutes after getting to the hotel in Dublin. I love hotel 'stuff'. My husband laughs at me getting so excited about it. I arrived in Dublin early afternoon and made my own way to the hotel (I was determined to get there without using a taxi, so I got the bus from the airport into Dublin then wandered around with a vague map looking for the hotel). I dropped my case off at the hotel and then went into town and did a bit of shopping.

Of course, the most exciting thing about being in a hotel is breakfast in bed:

I made Hagos go through the breakfast list every night for the following day, even though he assured me he wanted exactly the same thing every day.

On the second day we met up with our very old friend Shane (old as in how long we've known him, not old as in he's a geriatric). We first met Shane when we lived in London about twenty years ago. Last time we saw him was about ten years ago so it was SO nice when we arrived in the hotel bar and he and his girlfriend and children were waiting for us.

It reminded me that Hagos and I really need to move to be nearer to friends and family. We've had an ambition to move to Edinburgh for years. I think we'll have to throw a really big party when we eventually manage it!

The rest of the time we spent wandering around and having a really nice time being together.

My dilemma of what to do on the plane there and back was resolved by resorting to crochet again. The last time I crocheted was two years ago when I flew to Edinburgh. I don't know if the knitting needle restriction has been lifted on planes but I didn't want to chance it. This is what I made:

They're completely mindless to make but very quick. I think I'll make a few more and sew them together to make a cushion cover. Back it with some material.

I was glad that my confidence in flying had returned. Towards the end of touring with my husband's band about ten years ago I became nervous and anxious. And it took me four years to get in a plane after 9/11. But I really enjoyed flying to Dublin. It's totally amazing when the plane revs up for take off, drives really fast and then the ground just falls away. I find landing equally exciting.

Above is take off. Below is leaving the Irish coast on the way home again. Meg was as pleased to see me as she usually is. I think she was very well looked after by Karen while I was gone and probably didn't notice the change in butlers.

Today I'm not quite sure what to do with myself. I went a walk to Reepham Station this morning to have lunch and to get my sister's birthday card. I should really go to Sainsburys to get some food in but I don't feel like it. I might just light a fire and snuggle down with a film.

Some Sad News - and Dublin

My beautiful wee cat isn't pregnant. I took her to the vet's today (with much meowing and looking forlorn in her cat carrier) and he said she'd probably absorbed her kitties back into her body. He said it was unusual for a female cat to reach 3 years old and not have had a litter so there must be a problem with her. We came home and had some girl time cuddling on the couch until she felt happy again.Happier news - I'm off to Dublin tomorrow to meet my husband, who is flying in from Milan tomorrow night and then has two days off before the next gig. I'll arrive before him and settle myself into the hotel, which has a pool and sauna. The dilemma is, what do I take to do on the plane? Will I get knitting needles on? Or should I do some crochet? Or read? Or write? I haven't been anywhere for ages though so I'm looking forward to it. Meg is being looked after by Karen who likes cats so I'm sure they'll be fine.

Our friend Rik is the sound engineer for Iggy and the Stooges, so I was very excited to watch (from the comfort of my own living room) Iggy playing Glastonbury last Saturday night. It was an amazing gig; Iggy has so much energy, and I loved when he invited the front of the audience onto the stage. It reminded me of gigs my husband's band do, when the music is so energising that people from the audience climb onto the stage, and then stage-dive back in. I love when music uplifts and transcends and people are spontaneous. I wonder which shampoo Iggy uses? His hair looks so silky.

Confused? You won't be after this week's episode of SOAP

Does anyone remember that from the 80s? It used to be my absolute favourite TV programme. Until Burt was abducted by aliens. Then it all got a bit surreal. Not that I mind surreal but it was a bit odd three years into the programme.

Anyway, MY confusion is all to do with my little cat, sunbathing here on the coal bunker yesterday:I took her to the vet two weeks ago and he told me she was 3-4 weeks pregnant. So, after the initial shock I was very excited and started asking very nice people if they wanted a kitten when they arrived. The vet reckoned she had three or four kittens inside her, possibly more.

Then yesterday she started acting like she was on heat again. And tonight when I got home from work there was no sign of her, which is most unusual. I went looking for her, down the back lane, and even into next door's garden where Basil has a disused outbuilding and little secret garden round the back, where I know she likes to hang out, but she wasn't there. I was getting quite worried about her when she turned up just after 9pm, wolfed down a pouch of food and went straight out again.

So, I'm guessing she isn't pregnant, or else something's happened to her little kitties. I'll make an appointment for her at the vet tomorrow and make sure she's okay.

At least I should get a good night's sleep tonight, but I'd much rather Meg was home bothering me.

My husband came home from tour on Sunday night for a couple of days. I was so happy to see him. He very kindly gave me this!

Thunder and The Kitchen Table Microcosm

This has been our weather for the past few days. Torrential rain, thunder and lightning. I went into town yesterday morning and it was clear blue sky when I left. Then I was sitting in a cafe having lunch when the rain started hammering on the roof and bouncing off the pavement.

Today I'm planning to tidy up the house for Hagos coming home!! There isn't much to do but when I came down for breakfast this morning and looked at the kitchen table I thought it said a lot about how I've been living this last week: Material and sewing machine to make skirts; Oxygen and The Memory Keeper's Daughter; yesterday's Guardian; a present from a friend; receipts to sort; magazines and books stacked at the end of the table for reference; a manuscript of a book another friend is writing; and satsumas to have with porridge for breakfast.

It sums up how I spend my time. The table would have had a ginger cat on it too if she hadn't been out hunting.

Skirt # 3

I finished Joyce's skirt and she's really happy with it. I thought the moss green waist band really lifted the colours in the material, which is Amy Butler Coriander Olive.

Meg has taken to sleeping beside me on my bed, which I really like. I woke up this morning to find her already beside me, after she'd been out hunting.