The worst film ever made...

"919 Fith Avenue"...as I had dinner cooking at 3.30pm I was ready for some entertainment as I knitted.I prefer something light if possible. You can't get much lighter than most Channel Five films so we gave it a try. It started off oddly, we couldn't put our fingers on it .We have "Missles of October" which is a filmed play ( at one point the editing forgets to cut out the applause) . That was it , the whole thing was very obviously on set and the script manipulated to make sure there was only one outdoor scene . To make matters worse it was the 1980s so everyone had huge hair , huge shoulder pads and kept trying to adopt Princess Di poses ( except the men!) .Any American with the good taste not to think that our Royals are fascinating , good etc by mere virtue of being born so forgive me. I think it was aimed at Diana fans who loved James Hewitt ...oh dear !.I have slight sympathy for the poor woman but my gut feeling is that she was very ,very lights out .
Even more oddly all the "downstairs" folks were Irish and I don't mean Irish-American ( the actors might have been ). Anyhow the father says "It doesn't do to mix with them upstairs" ..no he didn't tug his forelock .So with all of the working folks of New York why would you have Irish servants ? To make matters worse the poor souls were twee as all outdoors as in Irish villages in "Murder She Wrote" . Them upstairs could have been out of Dynasty they were that awful .They had the required drug addict son ...after what the right-wing nut said about what Kennedy kids do with their money you simply must have one in society. There was some poor actor who when William Devane was busy always got the white-haired Patriarch role . Now that rich ,old men die their hair these guys will be un-employed !

Phyllis Diller on being old...

"You know you are old when they discontinue your blood type" ..isn't that wonderful!

I just posted on my old blog..rats ! It is easy ...

as they have the same sign-in.

If you don't have a dream.

This is a picture of Holly doing her forced to pose for Mum smile.Never mind that what she is holding is a bag in Kaffe's "Roman Glass" . There is a tank-top thingy in "Kaffe at the V&A" which I adore.He said it would be easy ..huh! It was agony so it only ever got to be bag-size. But I still dream that one day I shall sit and try again . 

Hoping to finish autumn shawl today.

Then I must think about Christmas gifts I can knit and start my beach shawl. I am hoping to incorporate some pebble sized bobbles and have to think about texture. If you are reading this Jo , I have "Celtic Knits" and the sweater you were talking about is truly exquisite. I prefer to do her fair-isles because cables are almost impossible for me ..very cack-handed .

Time to wash all those knits.

It's a bright ,windy day here so I have hand-washed about six sweaters so far to hang out ready for chillier days. The capelets are fine at the moment for Holly and I wear Pashminas .It won't be long before I can wear my mostly chunky jackets. I really can't do fine knitting now. Holly is reading a Robert Graves book I found in my workroom when she should be typing an essay but I love it when she reads things I had stuck away for decades .

Sensory overload.

So many yarns and only one pair of hands.So many beautiful patterns and still only one pair of hands. Gill@ Woolly Workshop has some "Fiddlesticks" shawl pattens that are gaspingly lovely. I am thinking that if I close myself off in the workroom I could do it .I need to concentrate and yet prefer to sit with Holly whilst she is drawing so we talk . The new Noro is not madly exciting except for Cash Iroha being re-introduced. All I have to do is decide what to make before it's next season !

Distance lends enchantment.

A lovely bank-holiday weekend made all the more lovely by a divide of milage between me amd M.I.L .We used to have to do the rounds , my Mum , Jeff's Mum and have little time for ourselves . I visited mine in the week so it was three days of knitting and chilling .

High up knobs and low ones too...

A phrase used by working class folk here is "High up knobs" to describe the upper classes. Anyhow it's going slowly at the knob's Palaces to say the least.I think archaeologist's must need the patience of a saint. I'd want a little more than a lot of old foundations.I did manage some rather more exciting knobs and bobbles on my freeform shawl to represent berries .I also did a patch of fair-isle acorns .In fact it is about half-way and that is good because I am itching to start another in a colour combo. I hardly use but Colinette's mixed mill bags almost chose for me ,browns and navy . I am not sure about a theme but a few large bobbles as pebbles maybe?
I found a historical novel on E:Bay about Henny as she is now called at home .It might be rubbish but then again I remember reading every historical novel set during The Civil War as a teenager and some had a lot of research . I remember a favourite being called "Minette" and being about H.M and C1st's last daughter .I shall have to surf some secondhand bookshops. I also had a rather good bio. of Cromwell which stays in my memory as it was in my bag when I was mugged. I well remember the Policeman asking me the contents of my bag .I never carry a small one so it goes like this ,a biography of Cromwell ,a bottle of "Jicky" , a rapidograph ( drawing pen) , a skirt , a purse, a pencil case and some embroidery threads .He was hoping for a make-up bag and a purse no doubt ! Anyhow apart from shock ,injury and an inability to bear being in the dark alone I have got the rest back but it was in 1973 .I can't find the bio. I have never given away a single Kennedy book ,thank-goodness because I'd hate to have to start that collection off again .

Reflections..

Not getting all philosophical.I am talking about the yarns I bought which are very short eyelash with a definate twinkle.I knitted the browns into my shawl along with a strand of Kid Classic in Peat ..result a nice soft furry spot. Not feeling too well this weekend gave me the excuse to sit and knit and watch "Time Team's Big Royal Dig" .Oh boy that is slow going all I can say is show us inside Holyrood it would be more fun.I am not sure why we care who or where The Duke of Buckingham was .The Civil War defences at Buckingham Palace might be interesting if they'd found small items like an officer's watch or something as it is it's all foundations.I like domestic history ,The Pitt Rivers in Oxford is my kind of museum. Do not worry folkies I am not ill as such just a menopausal thing that means I don't feel free to go out for a day or two .I'll also drop off at intervals. I have liquid iron now so will run a marathon soon I am sure.
I have lost my new Rowan book and am feeling very annoyed as like Jo we have so many books piled here and there . Holly saw "Romance" in John Lewis and I want to check patterns .It's odd stuff as I bought her enough to make a scarf ( sort of pre-knitted but very loose).
I also found a book I wanted on the net yesterday but being very linited in interset it costs about £50.00s ! It's about the ballets and Dramas put on by Henrietta Maria. A woman attending any sort of such thing was considered a complete slut.I am not too sure what the really severe Puritans suggest she did all day .She couldn't cook , clean the Palace , she did a great job of having children so no complaints there .A bit of cross-stitch in black I guess ..go girl is all I can say .I am sure these plays etc were not at all like The Restoration stuff that might well have been vulgar and met my dis-approval she was just a woman in love with a sense of fun. I might get it for Christmas if I am a good girl .I did have my eye on some Cash Iroha in black but this is a very special book and Holly looked interested.She has a list of books she wants from The V&A .

Got my head in ...

C.V.Wedgewood's two volumes on The English Civil War found in Oxfam..well come on we can't buy yarn and books and guess which comes first . My mother is a little vague these days and when I phoned to ask if I had left my Bio. of Henrietta Maria at her house she said no.Then went on for two hours about Antonia Fraser's new one on Marie Antoinette..what did Oxfam have ? Yes the new book on Mrs Letthemeatcake.I don't see the connection , Mum probably does ..it's all heads isn't it .

A bit of stash enhancement.

Four colours of Reflection, one of Fireflyand a Boa in claret. 

A member of The New Model Army alive and well..

As I am on the subject... ..at Meeting there is a woman who pops up to remind us how wonderful it is that many of the most extreme members settled in Reading ( oh joy of joys) .These guys were The Taliban of the day , people were hiding Christmas puddings and looking depressed.As Jo points out mid-winter was adopted by The Christians but as an excuse that wouldn't cut the ice. She is somewhat odd and wears dark glasses as she swears she has porfiria which is well weird as Charles 1st had it and she is a staunch supporter of the other side. We are all dying to tell her the war is over but not sure she'd cope. She lives the time and will stand up and rant on and off ( I wonder if she's a relative of Ian Paisley come to think of it) . She comes to the carol service that is an added extra as Quakers were not noted for singing. Then she'll tell us about the most looney members with great delight . I've never seen her house but wonder if walking in I'd step back in time.

Woopert of the Whine.

Cruel but we think of him as talking like Pilate in "Life of Brian" .His Uncle had a stutter so it seems to go although as a Germanic speaker I'm not sure how that would work. Anyhow I know when I've re-awakened a passion.I was reading Parliamentarian propaganda on the net and found a wonderful load of tosh about "Boy" Prince Rupert's dog. He was his familiar ( so they said) and could be invisable and thus spy on the Roundheads .What we want to know is how he communicated what he'd heard to his Dad . It doesn't help our weird sense of humour when History channels do mock ups in a foggy frame. The Queen seems to float in a mist and three men filmed from above walk the Oxford colleges looking "right girl's blouses " to quote Holly. No-one looks short enough to be The King unless the others are Charles and James thus teens as big as dad. Holly's favourite period is W.W 1. So her face at three guys with sashes, lace boot tops "like jam-covers" was a picture. We only touched The Civil War at home-school as she prefers modern history. She is now quite caught up in the period along with her Mum. I shall have to do a tour of Reading site's that were famous for their part in the war.The local church had it's top knocked off by Cromwell . It does seem odd to be talking in favour of the King's side an awful lot .I don't approve of monarchy but the poor man really believed it was his God-given role to be his people's protector I guess. I admire his stubborn determination not to bend and give his jurors the chance to be let off the enormity of the murder . In that way he saw his duty through with courage and that is admirable in anyone. I can see a lot of visits to museums coming on.

Searched my bookshelves..

surfed the net and I have to say the net can't beat a book.You get a few add-ons but you can surf for hours for what can be in your hand and read in a day. So H.M ( if you havn't read previous posts that is Henrietta Maria..not Lizzie Windsor). we have an appointment at "Waterstones" . There was a bang on the door at 2.30..my latest Colinette order.I am knitting an autumn shawl so needed far more browns than I had . I think I must be very quaint because I find dealing with the loud men rather intimidating.Luckily our postman is very quiet. Yesterday Holly and I watched "Howard's End" and Prunella Scales was wearing a long gabardine coat , had on a lovely hat and was carrying a carpet bag ..that is how I want to look. I remember a comedy sketch that might have been on French and Saunders .Anyhow a woman goes around town in Victorian costume and pops into the corner shop where she asks to have a Mars bar wrapped and sent to her house..it was hysterical. I want to look elegant when I go out now and again ...white gloves is one thing I can't stand .Everytime I look at Ethel Kennedy she looks like Minnie Mouse ..only her hands I must add ( back in the 1960s).

Che Guevara.

Yet another odd one I suppose but nothing will ever convince me he wasn't a great man with a heart of gold. I hate killing and yet when you read about the poverty in Argentina,Cuba,Bolivia etc you can only understand. Sadly The English Revolution seems far more about The Middle class resentment of taxes , hatred of catholics than any sort of equality. I guess it gave Monarchy a lesson but did it change much at all..any answers folks?

Why I am a socialist.

Listening to a heart rending reading on radio 4 this morning I remembered why.After all with Blair around you want to forget you are ..but then he's not. Some poor Birmingham lady around about 1938 is widowed so what do they do ? She has four kids ...they take them away and put them in a Barnados home ( sounding not too unlike a borstal) . She works like a demon to get them back .Henrietta Maria come The Restoration was granted £3o,000 from Parliament and the same by her son .We worked that out as £49 million a year ....what did she do with it ? I grant she had lived ( for her) in near dire poverty for some years in exile but give me a break ..millions for one little old lady.

Henrietta Maria Stuart ( spouse of Charles 1st)

An odd heroine for a Socialist/Quaker/Republican but there you go. I am in the happy position of living in a multi-faith society with a democracy not a Monarch who believes they have any divine rights ( at least I hope not) . I was fascinated by her as a teenager , read biographies and admired her greatly .I still do but have forgotton so much in passing years.I'll say she was one sassy gal to say the very least .I'm not one for visiting graves of famous people but if I'm in France sometime maybe I could ..except her heart is in one place and the rest of her elsewhere.If in Washington I'd head for Arlington .I can't get her out of my head so will have to search Mum's books to see if I left any bios. there or go to the library.She is annoying though as I am now used to footage and newspaper articles etc and to making up my own mind.

Working on book cover.

There is a story in the book that she asked me to read and that was great except for one tiny thing..she should be a doctor. She will type it out later so I get really get into it. 

Holly's latest book cover.

 

Moos story..

According to "Today" cows have accents..adorable.!So sheep news wise surely they must too.They don't know if it has anything to do with the owner's accent but I doubt that.My cat used to say "erro" when he came home try arguing that wasn't copying what I said ,"Hello".

Criticising yarn.

I don't really want to start doing much of this but ....I bought some of Louisa Harding's new "Liberty" and I have to say the quality is awful. I think it looks like a poor imitation of Noro's "Blossom" . As I like her yarns I have more hope for "Thalia" ribbon .Luckily I only bought a small amount to try. I don't like the colour range of Noro's new boucle , sadly. I have a lot more faith that the new Colinette yarns due in September will be good quality . I don't think so much of Rowan's R.Y.C but havn't yet seen the alpaca and hope it is as good as the "Artesano" which I love. A lot of new yarns are novelty which are fun but sometimes way over-priced. I like the look of Debbie Bliss's new tweeds and on the whole hers are very good quality. I just found some "Tagletelli" in Pharoah in my stash , last year I wasn't sure of the colours but it's perfect for autumn. That is a real classic along with Point-Five ,I love the way different yarns take the colour so Copperbeech in "Tao" is really delicate like faded roses.If I get over my shawl mania I have some felted tweed that Holly wants a fair-isle in .

Holly was just pulling her curtains when...

she said " Mum there are two very old ladies in the porch of Hilary's house" ( across the road) . I am thinking "saw Hilary go to work this morning , only cats at home ,do they need help?". Then my brain activates...ALARM, EMERGENCY...get downstairs turn off all the lights , the radio , hide behind sofa .You guessed they are Jehovah's Witnesses ..these folks do not take "No thanks" for an answer.I might be a half-hearted Quaker and I want to stay that way .I've tried I'm a communist ,member of Opus Dei, Satanist , Dutch Reformed, atheist ( NEVER try that one). The best thing is to be out even when in.

Fascinating day.

This might seem ironic but it isn't meant to be. I just don't have much to say of a normal day. After waving Hubbie "adieu" I sat listening to radio 4 for two hours in the window at the front of the house for maximum light.I was working on the "Zanzibar" capelet for Holly. Then I moved to the living room , loaded up a second wash and picked up my new autumn shawl.Holly worked on some writing and we discussed some history as I clacked away. I didn't fall asleep , as usual at 2pm, so I knitted more .Then it was time to make dinner , macaroni cheese with salad .This evening I might knit a little for a change . I am not a fanatical housewife .Holly made my favourite lunch , a bagel with hummous . I shall go to bed early or I'll fall asleep in the morning. I am still waiting for the kitten so I think things will liven up a bit when he arrives.

Missing Sal.

I hope she won't mind my saying this but I have really missed Sal of "Yellowfrog" blog.Her humour was down to earth , her sense of fun shone through . I can never imagine her putting anyone down and I wish her every success in her new endeavour.

Japanese Spam.

Is anyone else being swamped with the stuff? I tried the first two in Babel-fish ..well it made no darned sense at all. I block every sender now I think I need to look up the population of Japan just to know how busy I'll be .God knows what they want , African spammies usually want money , American spam is usually trying to enhance bits of body I don't have or sell me something.Don't spammers yet realise most of us are smart enough to dump it all ?

Holly perusing ..

her precious collection of my old Laura Ashley catalogues .Wondering why she can hardly find a dress now much less a velvet collared coat , a Welsh Wool suit etc. 

Blogs to avoid!

Having foolishly strayed onto one blog because it was listed on the V&A site, I found nothing but nastiness and bitching, elitist smart remarks and put downs. This is not a surprise because the blog in question has rules. A long list of what you should discuss and the suggestion that if you get it wrong you lack the superior intellect to be part of the circle.

The second is also popular but more so, but comes over as so incredibly elitist that today potential comment leavers are threatened not to leave any about a certain much discussed subject. They really so remind me of the characters in Inspector Morse, who lived in the ivory towers of Oxfords elite and never stopped thinking that they were above Oxford's common hoard. Morse hated them and I know how he feels

Grover Norquist slanders the Kennedy family..

Some looney , right-wing fundie nutter just slandered the Kennedy family on B.B.C radio 4's "Talking Politics" to my utter fury.

Todays purchase..

New colours in Zanzibar..a capelet for Holly . 

Ball winder..sitting on

My "Jewelled Stripes" shawl. 

Model sneaks out..

with payment wearing a cardigan lovingly made for her by "Principles" .."snarl" 

Sea Shawl

 

Giotto and Isis capelet

Garden shawl 2

 

Garden shawl 1

 

Headless model...

After Jo wondering why I don't have my photo taken in my shawls I noticed that both Gill and Hazel have those dress-makers dummies , eureka! Zee problem she is solved as Poiret might say. It will be hard to find a space for it but seems a good idea. My model is fairly co-operative but she won't always be here.

My kind of gal...

The lady on the right is called Mary Kennedy Ryan ( a cousin of President Kennedy ..possibly 2nd or 3rd). Anyhow she is the kind of lovely warm ,cuddly woman the World was full of . I'd love to be like that in a dress and lace-up brogues maybe .None of this competing with daughters you see so much of.You can't see her face but it's warm and bonny. The place is Dunganstown Co. Wexford during his visit in 1963. 

Try getting through an airport like this Jo !!!!

Note the plaque !! 

Home run section ..

Includes Crystal Palace "Bebop" in Roses which I love but think expensive for 100% nylon. There's quite a lot of Colinette's "Isis" in Monet which is soft but feels cold against the skin so a lot of mohair and kid-silk haze again. I'll take a photo when it's finished if my model co-operates .

On the home run..

My shawl is now on the home run I hope and then I shall start an autumn inspired one .Not sure if I should include berries as I don't want to get too twee. I might then just go for a Christmas fair-isle jacket .Another trip to town yesterday just confirmed the appalling clothes everyone seems to wear.We had to put on "Wings of a Dove" to cleanse our eyes .Mounds of fat poured over too small ,too low jeans is not a pretty sight and as for colour forget it.I finally spent the gift vouchers for "East" I had for my birthday on a red silk gathered skirt for Holly and a bargello-like scarf for me. There was hardly any colour out there and no vocabularies at all. We find the locals are actually hard to understand because they speak in "Neanderthal grunts" .My sister had left four skeins of Colinette mohair for me at my mother's house .My favourite was in earth colourway so I added some to my shawl when we got home. Then watched "Desperate Housewives" which still surprises me ..I laugh an awful lot.

This bit has ..

my favourite section with Kaalund "Nimbus" knitted with two strands of "Kidsilk-Haze" and a bit of Mardi-gras "One-Zero" 

Up past the picket fence...

Still working on "garden" 

Frogs and spiders.

There I was happily watching "Heroines of Comedy" as I un-picked a sweater Holly declared "The most ghastly thing on the planet" when out popped the most enormous spider . I screamed dropped my knit and jumped up on the highest surface. Jeff came to the rescue. I think my stash is going to have a large input soon as a 16 yr old won't wear what a 14 year old would. I am not the same size as Holly and also over-heat easily , she is cold most of the time. I made her thick sweaters in Colinette's chunkiest yarns . We negotiated on what she will wear but it was as time-consuming and nearly as big a waste of time as The U.N. Seeing Phyllis Diller again made my day though ..I adored that crazy woman as a child.

Old pattern..

Amongst a big pile of old patterns sent to me by a friend Holly singled this out.It would look better on her in a deep pink ..and one day I hope to get round to it ! 

After Jo's sobering post...

about Irish lads thought of as potential nationalist fighter being sent to Welsh coal-mines I give you this .




"In Monmouthshire"


When greed was born in Monmouthshire
In Monmouthshire,
The hill's were torn for mammon's fire,
And wheels went round,
And skulls were cracked,
And limbs were ground,
And nerves were wracked.
No time to dream,
No time to stand and stare,
In that fell scheme,
To foul the air,
To grab the coal
And scorn the tree,
And sell the soul
to buy a spree.
And breasts were bruised
In dismal dens,
And streets were used
As breeding pens.
And babes were born
to feed the fire,
When hills were torn
In Monmouthshire.


By Idris Davies. For my aunt who wouldn't look towards Caversham because she'd see the big house on the hill owned by mine-owners who exploited the Welsh.

Gorgeous chenille.

This arrived today fron "Green Man Threads" on E:Bay .It is perfect for a shell loving knitter. You don't quite get enough of the pinks and blues in the picture. 

Scare your child courtesy of Noro...

These two scaries were in my new pamphlet. When I was a kid in the 1950s ( and with a gambling, alcoholic Dad) I was grateful for anything ( my best toy was two red pom-poms with bri-nylon ears ..a bunny called Rosemary) . Mostly I find exquisite patterns from Japan , cute little toys etc .What are these horrors doing in the booklet of a premier yarn company? Mind you Noro really overdo cables ..with multi-yarns I don't think they look that good. 

Operation Tiger.

Just to cheer us up on this "lovely" day we watched a documentary about the exercises to prepare for D-Day .A small English sea-side town had been taken over , sadly the American unit was attacked and hundreds died in some really revolting ways. It all had to be covered up for obvious reasons. The narrator tells us that most of the men's last word was "Mum" .There we go again , get pregnant , give birth , lovingly bring up your child and the idealogy of a madman means he will die in terror and agony.Writers like Michael Morpugo, PatBarker keep writing your amazing books and maybe , just maybe all Mums will bring up their children to try to understand the enormity of attacking a fellow human being .Maybe we can work to "Make Gentle the Life of This World"

Old Relics..

The other day watching the senate commitee, E.M.K stood up and flashed that Kennedy smile half way between Robert and John. It was weird as hell for me as if I am so old I can see history. I suppose those of us who grew up with so much film and media see visuals others never did. Holly loves the U.K.T.V History channel and was watching a program about Charles II. An inn keeper is reported to have recognized him and fallen at his feet. We wondered how a humble inn keeper from the south coast knew him, I guess he might have served in the king's army and seen the young prince.
I believe he was rather tall and had dark French colouring but even so it seems amazing. I think its a shame she can't see footage of the times that interest her. We are not so keen on recreations of the type they do in documentaries. Holly did tease me mercilessly that the Palin family (Michaels) were royalists who hid Charles II. I forgive them considering what the commonwealth was like in terms of fun and frolics. I was reading about William Penn yesterday and I was mystified that he was a friend of James II... Weird huh ? I shall have to investigate. Holly said " Are you kidding Mum they were all bonkers!" She meant early Quakers .....and some not so early. Even when she was six years old she would pull faces at meeting that clearly said "Nuts!"

New Noro booklet..

This is exquisite !..I'll post more later but it's just arrived so it's a coffee and an ogle. 

Money Laundering..

This morning I sat tying pennies into my knitted scarf and Holly said "Mother sits in the corner doing something surreal again" . I then tied it into a bundle and felted it ...shibori knobs ! This is only a section and bits of silk remain which I tied them in with..I'll brush them off when I dry it. 

The most exquisite yarn I have ever seen.

Go to http://blog.leesburgyarnshop.com/

Scroll down to the Great Adirondack "Moonbeam" yarn....alas it is near $50.00s a skein and I can't order from the U.S but it's the stuff of dreams.

Bloggers for Peace...

Post a note to Tony Blair , President Bush , Presidents' of Iran ,The Lebanon ,Israel. Do you look at the Winnie -the Pooh in the ruins of a building in The Lebanon and imagine the child crushed, suffocated .Maybe he/she is still dying so afraid , so lonely so much in agony. Do you gun toting men , bomb makers , gas producers, murderers either in the name of your God or your State think "NO ,we are all God's people I will not will not kill my brothers?" Do you citizens of Israel ever think that it is going to cause obvious sores settling in another's home ? But remember young men who grow up to lob missles at innocent Israelis we do not admire you .In fact you disgust us as much as the pilots dropping bombs on the innocent.God gave us voices, minds of our own and I doubt any God of any people ( who is all one) sees what we do and blesses us , no we are cursed and we can live with it or begin to beg forgiveness.

A huge treat..

http://www.c-span.org/apa/rfk.asp

This is an approx 3 hour interview recorded for posterity in approx 1965.R.F.K is relaxed and so his speaking style is much easier, faster,happier at times. It is wonderful history for anyone interested in Civil Rights and the work of The Justice Dept. as it should be when there is a hard working Attorney General.

Picket Fence..

needs tidying with embroidery later ...a few french knot flowers more. 

Holly's imaginary costume designer..

Antonio drew this .He's part of a story I'm not allowed to read yet. 

Still Knitting..

Reading Evan Thomas's Bio of R.F.K and started another oddments shawl.It is such fun throwing all my "garden" balls into a big bag . This is going to be a big rectangle but I have an autumnal triangle planned .It is still on the needles so the thread across it is some "Giotto" I think .